Robin Williams's daughter Zelda slams deepfake video of her dad

Zelda Williams has taken to social media to defend her father, the late actor and comedian Robin Williams, and debunk AI-generated deepfake videos that appear to show him discussing conspiracy theories.

Daughter urges people making unauthorized AI-generated videos of late comedian to 'let him rest'

Helen Surgenor · CBC News

· Posted: Sep 22, 2026 4:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 17 minutes ago

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Zelda Williams says she only returns to the social media site X when she needs to publicly address the exploitation of her father, the late actor, Robin Williams.

"It's a readily accessible public forum for me to debunk things and try to protect him, futile though that may be," she said in a post Monday.

Williams used the platform to criticize an AI-generated video, which claimed to be private footage of the Good Will Hunting star, who died by suicide in 2014, discussing conspiracy theories.

Not only is the video not real, she said, it's not even convincing.

"Anyone who claims to be a fan who believes it clearly listened to his movies on mute because that voice is robotic and terrible."

That supposedly ‘private video’ of dad that I’ve been shown talking about conspiracies is clearly AI, and not even particularly convincing AI. Anyone who claims to be a fan who believes it clearly listened to his movies on mute because that voice is robotic and terrible. That…

—zeldawilliams

Williams said in her post that anyone who can't make their case without using a dead man's likeness to make it more convincing is manipulating the public.

"Let him rest," she wrote. "Just because he's gone does not mean he's now your puppet. Have some shame."

Williams, who is a filmmaker and the director of Lisa Frankenstein, has taken a public stand against AI deepfakes in the past, and often describes them as a matter of consent.

On Instagram stories Monday she wrote: "if you use these 'tools' to recreate real people and make them do whatever you'd like, you are very much removing their consent from the equation. If they, as human beings, would not or cannot make the choice to perform these acts for you in reality by their own free will, then you are actively manipulating their visage … denying another person their autonomy and humanity."

The fact the below example uses a real woman who cannot consent to what is being put in her mouth or done with/to her body should clue you in on the dark future ahead. Absolutely obscene to believe you should get to control Marilyn like an avatar. She remains a human, even gone. <a href="https://t.co/tBBQqqlPcL">https://t.co/tBBQqqlPcL</a>

&mdash;zeldawilliams

Just last year, Williams put out a public appeal, asking people to stop sending her AI recreations of her father.

Throughout his life, Williams was protective of how his likeness was used.

In 1993, The Los Angeles Times reported on a public dispute he had with Disney for using his voice in advertising.

"The one thing I said was I will do the voice," he told NBC's The Today Show. "One deal is, I just don't want to sell anything — as in Burger King, as in toys, as in stuff."

When his Genie character from Aladdin was used to sell things, Williams vowed he would never work for Disney again.

And, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Robin Williams Trust had a provision restricting his right of publicity for 25 years after his death — meaning his voice or likeness cannot be used until Aug. 11, 2039.

Zelda Williams says she's determined to try to fulfil her father's wishes, writing on X: "He protected me for years, I've gotta at least try and return the favor."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helen Surgenor is a producer for CBC News based in Toronto, currently working for the entertainment unit. She spent years waking up before dawn to make the daily news podcast World Report. She has reported in Alberta, Iqaluit and Barbados. You can reach her at helen.surgenor@cbc.ca.