How to Change Alexa's Voice to Samuel L. Jackson

Turn Alexa into Samuel L. Jackson

By
S.E. Slack
S. E. Slack
S.E. Slack
Senior Strategy & Editorial Director, Lifewire.com
  • California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo
S.E. Slack has 30+ years' experience writing about technology. She has authored 12 books, thousands of articles, and worked for IBM and Microsoft.
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Updated on November 11, 2021

What to Know

  • Wake echo device and say "Alexa, introduce me to Samuel L. Jackson." After the Skill tutorial, confirm the purchase by saying "Yes."
  • To use the skill, preface your requests with your wake work and then say, "Ask Sam" followed by your request.
  • To switch versions, open Alexa app on smartphone and go to Menu > Settings > Voice Responses > Samuel L. Jackson > Explicit Content.

This article explains how to change Alexa's voice to the actor Samuel L. Jackson's. Additional information covers how to switch between explicit and clean versions of his voice.

How to Change Alexa Voice to Samuel L. Jackson's

You can enable this skill on any of the Echo devices connected to your Amazon account. Follow these steps:

There are two versions of Jackson's voice available: Explicit and clean. You can toggle between the two versions using the Alexa app if you prefer to use his voice around children or others who could be offended by the explicit version. Instructions are provided below.

  1. Activate your Echo device with your wake word.

  2. Initiate the skill by saying "Alexa, introduce me to Samuel L. Jackson."

  3. After a lengthy explanation of how the skill works, you'll be asked to confirm your purchase. Say "Yes."

  4. To use the skill, preface your requests with your wake word, then "Ask Sam," then request music, set a timer, get the weather, learn a funny joke, or other items. You can also ask questions about Jackson's career and interests. Example: 'Alexa, ask Sam what day it is.'

How to Switch Between Explicit and Clean Versions of Samuel L. Jackson

You can't make this change using your Echo device; you need to use the Alexa app by following these steps:

  1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone.

  2. Tap the hamburger menu at the top left of the app to open the primary Alexa menu. Then tap Settings.

  3. Under Alexa Preferences, tap Voice Responses.

    The location of the Voice Responses option in the Alexa App.

  4. Under Celebrity Voices, tap Samuel L. Jackson.

  5. Next to Explicit Content, toggle the switch to On or Off. On allows explicit phrases from Jackson; Off provides cleaner phrases.

    How to toggle off explicit content from Samuel L. Jackson on Amazon Alexa.

How Alexa Celebrity Voices Work

This celebrity voice feature is actually an Alexa skill that you enable to let you hear Samuel L. Jackson's voice when you request music, set a timer, the weather forecast, and other basic items. However, you won't hear him respond to list, reminder, skill, or Amazon shopping requests; he will instead toss the conversation over to Alexa with a comment like, 'Yeah, that's important. Let's ask Alexa.'

Once enabled, you can ask Sam questions on any Echo devices connected to your account.

This skill is only available for devices using the United States English language option. It costs $4.99 to enable.

Additional Information About Amazon Celebrity Voices

In addition to Samuel L. Jackson, you can opt for Shaquille O'Neal or Melissa McCarthy as your Alexa's celebrity voice to answer particular questions and speak certain phrases, for example in weather reports or jokes. These voices also cost $4.99.

There is also a masculine voice you can opt for (for free), if you prefer, when setting up Alexa.

Other celebrity voice skills perform specific tasks. For example, "Gordon Ramsay" will rate a dish you made and offer a critique; he doesn't provide answers for weather or set timers, etc.

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