FOX News Audio has announced a licensing agreement with Gulfstream Studios to distribute “The Life of Jesus Podcast,” a 52-episode dramatized audio series retelling stories from the New Testament. The series will debut Nov. 30 on FOX Faith, FOX News Media’s religion-focused platform.
According to a company press release, Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt will introduce each episode. The episodes will focus on Jesus’ life, teachings, and miracles, starting with the book of Matthew, and exploring the entire New Testament via scripture readings and dramatized portrayals of key biblical moments.
The project features performances from more than 100 voice actors, including Neal McDonough as Jesus, Kristen Bell as Mary Magdalene, Brian Cox as the voice of God, Sean Astin as Matthew, Malcolm McDowell as Caiaphas, Julia Ormond as Mary, and John Rhys-Davies as narrator.
FOX News Audio says the series aims to give listeners an accessible, immersive way to engage with biblical narratives while expanding the faith-based offerings available on its FOX Faith vertical.
The New Testament audio series will be released in four seasonal installments aligned with the Christian liturgical calendar — Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter — building toward Resurrection Sunday 2026.
- Nov. 30 – First 13 episodes debut for Advent
- Dec. 21 – 13 episodes released during Christmas week
- Feb. 15, 2026 – Third set of 13 episodes arrives during Lent
- March 29, 2026 – Final 13 episodes debut on Palm Sunday
However, the audio itself originates from The Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible, first released in 2010. According to Rolling Stone, representatives for multiple cast members, including Bell, McDowell, and Cox, publicly stated they had no knowledge of their voices being repurposed for the series without explicit consent. Bell learned of the podcast only when her team received an invitation to promote it on Fox & Friends just a day before the Nov. 19 announcement. Her rep told Rolling Stone she “never gave permission for the old audiobook to be repurposed into a new podcast series.” Representatives for multiple actors involved also told Entertainment Weekly that they “had no knowledge” of the project until this week.
According to Rolling Stone’s report, the outlet obtained a note from a producer associated with the podcast, who urged at least one celebrity cast member to “not mention that this audio New Testament Bible was produced years ago, we’d like it to feel like something that was produced more recently.”
A spokesperson for Fox News told Rolling Stone the series was produced “with full cooperation and participation by all the actors involved” via the licensing deal with Gulfstream Studios.
“The Life of Jesus Podcast” will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, FOXNewsPodcasts.com, and wherever podcasts are found.
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