Kristen Bell and Other Stars Were Blindsided By Starring Roles in a New Podcast

A new 52 podcast series called The Life of Jesus Podcast recently announced that Kristen Bell would star as the voice of Mary Magdalene. Many people were surprised to hear this, including Bell herself. Here’s how she ended up as part of an over 100-person cast without knowing it.

Kristen Bell did not know she was the star of a new podcast

On Nov. 19, Fox New Media’s network Fox Faith announced The Life of Jesus Podcast, which would bring listeners “through the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus Christ.” The network announced that Bell would voice Mary Magdalene. This came as a huge shock to the actor, as she hadn’t recorded anything for it. 

As it turns out, the podcast uses audio of her voice from The Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible. She recorded the audiobook 15 years ago. Neither Bell nor her reps gave their permission for the podcast to use her voice. 

The 2010 audiobook also features actors such as Brian Cox, Sean Astin, Neal McDonough, Malcolm McDowell, John Rhys-Davies, and Julia Ormond. All of these names were also on the cast list as voices inThe Life of Jesus Podcast. A rep for McDowell said they never would have approved if they knew about the podcast, and Cox only found out about the podcast when the general public did.

“Brian recorded audio for a project over a decade ago,” a rep told Rolling Stone. “He was unaware that the audio would be repurposed for a new podcast series in 2025. Brian only became aware of the podcast today.”

Fox News Audio licensed the podcast from Gulfstream Studios, which owns rights to both the podcast and the audiobook.