Jimmy Kimmel Blasted For Asking Morgan Freeman An 'Offensive' Question About His Voice In Resurfaced Clip
Morgan Freeman is widely known for his distinctive voice, famously portraying the "voice of God" in the 2003 comedy 'Bruce Almighty' alongside Jim Carrey.
In a resurfaced clip on social media, Jimmy Kimmel's query left some fans astonished and others outraged by what they perceive as disrespect.
During an episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' in March 2016, Kimmel asked Freeman, "Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Is it something that you worked [on] or just from your family?"
"I don't even know what you mean," Freeman responded. Kimmel then mentioned Freeman's involvement in the 1970s children's TV show "The Electric Company," but eventually abandoned further attempts to clarify his original question.
"I studied acting in school," Freeman, 87, replied. "At Los Angeles City College, I had a voice and diction instructor who was excellent. We learned to enunciate clearly and pronounce our final consonants."
Kimmel, who graduated from the University of Nevada and Arizona State, answered, "So you actually learned something in college? I learned how to drink beer out of a funnel."
As the video circulated online, many expressed outrage at Kimmel's line of questioning.
"Would he ask a white person that (question)," asked one person in the Instagram comment section. "That voice is recognizable for everyone in the world," another commentator said.
Two social media users directly questioned Kimmel's conduct, asking, "Is anyone else finding the host condescending and offensive?" and "Did Jimmy Kimmel just compliment a black man for being articulate?"
As of this writing, Kimmel, 56, as not responded to the criticism behind the clip.
In other Freeman news, the actor shut down a TikToker who used his voice without permission earlier this month.
Content creator Justine posted videos online asserting a familial connection to Freeman, specifically calling herself his "nepo niece" and using his voice using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
On June 28, he expressed gratitude to his supporters who alerted others when the woman falsely employed his voice to deceive social media followers into believing they were related.
In a social media update, Freeman thanked his devoted fans for their vigilance in uncovering the unauthorized use of an AI-generated voice mimicking him.
