Scarlett Johansson
American actress who sued Disney over the Black Widow streaming release and objected to OpenAI's Sky voice
- Entries
- 27
- On the record
- 7
- Stories
- 2
- Latest entry
- Jan 22, 2026
The record
- $20Mwhat Disney said Johansson had received for Black Widow by the time she sued; the settlement terms were never disclosed
- 2 monthsfrom the July 29, 2021 filing to the September 30, 2021 settlement with Disney
- 400+submissions to OpenAI's May 2023 voice casting call, from which Sky and four other ChatGPT voices were picked
- โฌ2,500damages a Paris court awarded her in 2014 over a lookalike character in a French novel; she had sought โฌ50,000
Scarlett Johansson's best-known lawsuit was against Disney. On July 29, 2021 her company, Periwinkle Entertainment, sued in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Disney induced Marvel to breach her Black Widow contract by releasing the film on Disney+ the same day it opened in theaters, when her pay depended largely on box office. Disney said the suit had no merit and that she had received $20 million. The two sides settled on September 30, 2021 without disclosing terms.
Her second public dispute was with OpenAI. In May 2024 she said Sam Altman had asked to license her voice in September 2023, that she had declined, and that the ChatGPT voice Sky sounded so much like her that she was shocked. Her lawyers asked OpenAI how Sky was made. OpenAI paused Sky, saying it belonged to a different actress cast before anyone contacted Johansson; no lawsuit was filed.
She has kept pressing on AI misuse: legal action against the Lisa AI app over an advert in 2023, a February 2025 call for U.S. legislation after a deepfake video of her spread online, and a January 2026 open letter calling AI training on artists' work theft. Earlier, a Paris court awarded her damages over a novel in 2014, and the man who hacked her email was jailed in 2012.
Questions people ask
Why did Scarlett Johansson sue Disney?
Her company Periwinkle Entertainment alleged that Disney induced Marvel to breach her contract, which she said guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release, by putting Black Widow on Disney+ Premier Access the same day it reached theaters. Her earnings were tied to box office performance, so she said the streaming release cost her money. source
How did the Scarlett Johansson Disney lawsuit end?
It settled on September 30, 2021, two months after it was filed. Financial terms were not disclosed. In a joint statement Johansson said she was happy to have resolved their differences, and Disney's Alan Bergman said he was pleased they had reached a mutual agreement. source
How much was Scarlett Johansson paid for Black Widow?
Disney said in its response to the suit that she had received $20 million to date and that the Disney+ release had increased her chance to earn more. The amount of the later settlement was never made public. source
Did Scarlett Johansson sue OpenAI?
No lawsuit is on record. Her lawyers sent OpenAI letters asking it to detail exactly how the Sky voice was created, and OpenAI paused Sky. In her May 20, 2024 statement she called for transparency and for legislation to protect people's likenesses. source
Was the ChatGPT Sky voice Scarlett Johansson?
OpenAI says no: Sky is a different professional actress using her natural voice, cast in 2023 before the company approached Johansson. The Washington Post later reviewed casting documents and recordings and said the actress was hired months before Altman contacted Johansson. Johansson said the voice sounded eerily like her own. source
What was the Lisa AI case?
In late October 2023 an image-generating app, Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, posted a 22-second ad on X that used a Black Widow set clip of her and a fake AI version of her voice. Her attorney Kevin Yorn said they would pursue all available legal remedies, and the ad was taken down. source
What did Scarlett Johansson say about the AI deepfake video?
In February 2025 a doctored video showed her and other Jewish celebrities in T-shirts aimed at Ye. She said her likeness was used without consent, warned that AI misuse risks losing a hold on reality, and urged the U.S. government to make AI legislation a top priority. source
Has Scarlett Johansson won a lawsuit?
Yes, in France. On July 2, 2014 a Paris court ordered novelist Grรฉgoire Delacourt to pay her โฌ2,500 over a hurtful and demeaning lookalike character in his novel The First Thing We Look At. She had asked for โฌ50,000. Her Disney suit ended in a settlement, not a ruling. source
Roles and honours on the record
- 2010 Catherine, A View From the Bridge, Broadway source
- 2013 Margaret, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Broadway source
- until 2014 Oxfam Global Ambassador (eight years) source
- 2021 Plaintiff through her company Periwinkle Entertainment, Black Widow suit against Disney, Los Angeles Superior Court source
- 2025 Director, Eleanor the Great, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival source
- 2026 Signatory, Human Artistry Campaign open letter on AI training source
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Johansson and Disney said jointly they had resolved the dispute; terms were not disclosed. Johansson and Disney settled the Black Widow pay suit
- Admitted
Disney and Johansson jointly announced a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Biggest celebrity lawsuits ranked: Apple's $1B Samsung win leads
- Filed
Periwinkle Entertainment, for Scarlett Johansson, sued Disney in Los Angeles Superior Court over Black Widow's Disney+ release. Johansson and Disney settled the Black Widow pay suit
- Filed
Johansson sued Disney over the simultaneous theater and Disney+ release of Black Widow. Biggest celebrity lawsuits ranked: Apple's $1B Samsung win leads
Stories in this file
Celebrity ยท ๐ฌ Johansson and Disney settled the Black Widow pay suit
Two months after filing, terms undisclosed. Disney said it "fully complied" with her contract; her side said Disney breached it. ๐ฃ๏ธ
Money ยท โ๏ธ Biggest celebrity lawsuits ranked: Apple's $1B Samsung win leads
Paltrow's $1 countersuit trails. Apple's award was cut to $539M before the two sides settled on undisclosed terms. ๐
The record, entry by entry
Black Widow lawsuit against Disney
- 2021-07-09 Reported Black Widow opened in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access, a $30 rental, on the same day, taking $80 million in North America and $78 million internationally in its opening weekend before ticket sales fell sharply. The National Association of Theater Owners criticised the release strategy. WJLA (AP) report
- 2021-07-29 Filed Johansson's company sued Disney in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging it induced Marvel to breach her contract by releasing Black Widow on Disney+ Premier Access for $30 the same day it opened in theaters on July 9. She said the contract guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release and tied her pay to box office. FOX 11 Los Angeles report
- 2021-07-29 Official Disney said the suit had no merit whatsoever and showed callous disregard for the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, that it had fully complied with her contract, and that the Disney+ release enhanced her ability to earn more on top of the $20 million she had received. FOX 11 Los Angeles report
- 2021-08-20 Filed Disney asked the court to send the case to confidential, binding arbitration in New York, citing an arbitration clause in the Black Widow agreement. Her lawyer John Berlinski said Disney was trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration. TheWrap report
- 2021-09-30 Official Johansson and Disney settled the suit and issued a joint statement saying they would keep working together. The terms were not disclosed. WJLA (AP) report
OpenAI Sky voice and AI likeness
- 2023-09-11 Official OpenAI says it approached Johansson on this date about becoming a sixth ChatGPT voice and that she declined through her agent a week later. The five voices, Sky among them, launched on September 25, 2023. OpenAI company statement
- 2023-11-02 Reported Her lawyer said she would pursue all available legal remedies against Lisa AI, an image-generating app whose advert used a Black Widow set clip and a fake version of her voice, Variety reported. Variety report
- 2024-05-13 Reported After OpenAI demonstrated its GPT-4o voice assistant, Sam Altman posted a single word on X: her, the title of the 2013 film in which Johansson voiced an AI assistant. Axios report
- 2024-05-19 Official OpenAI said it had paused its Sky voice out of respect for her concerns, and stated that Sky was voiced by a different professional actress, not by Johansson. OpenAI company statement
- 2024-05-20 Reported In a statement, Johansson said Altman had asked in September 2023 to use her voice for ChatGPT, that she declined, and that he contacted her agent again two days before the demo. She said she was shocked, angered and in disbelief at Sky. Her lawyers asked OpenAI to detail how Sky was made. Axios report
- 2024-05-20 Official Altman said the voice of Sky was not Johansson's and was never intended to resemble hers, that the actress was cast before any outreach to Johansson, and apologised for not communicating better. OpenAI company statement
- 2024-05-22 Official OpenAI added a casting timeline to its post: a call for talent on May 10, 2023 drew over 400 submissions, the five voices were chosen that month and recorded in June and July, and Altman contacted Johansson's team again on May 10, 2024. OpenAI company statement
- 2024-05-23 Reported The Washington Post reported, from documents, recordings, casting directors and the actress's agent, that the Sky actress was hired months before Altman contacted Johansson, and that the casting call never asked for a Johansson sound. Washington Post report (via Anchorage Daily News)
- 2025-02-12 Reported After an AI-generated video showing her and other Jewish celebrities in T-shirts aimed at Ye spread online, Johansson urged Congress to pass legislation protecting citizens from misuse of generative AI. NBC News report
- 2025-05-16 Reported In a Vanity Fair cover interview she called for an agreed set of boundaries for AI, saying the Sky episode showed there was no boundary, and said she wished more public figures would speak out. Fox News report
- 2026-01-22 Reported Johansson was among hundreds of actors, writers and musicians, with Cate Blanchett and R.E.M., who signed the Human Artistry Campaign's Stealing Isn't Innovation letter, which calls AI training on creators' work without permission theft and asks for licensing deals instead. Euronews report
Earlier court cases
- 2012-12-17 Ruled A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced Christopher Chaney of Florida to 10 years in prison for hacking the email accounts of Johansson and other Hollywood figures. He had pleaded guilty in March to nine felonies, including unauthorized computer access and wiretapping, and published private photos of her. CBS Los Angeles report
- 2014-07-02 Ruled A Paris court ordered novelist Grรฉgoire Delacourt to pay Johansson โฌ2,500 for a hurtful and demeaning depiction of a lookalike character in his 2013 novel The First Thing We Look At. She had sought โฌ50,000. The Local France (AFP) report
Stage, screen and charity roles
- 2010 Official Johansson won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for A View From the Bridge, which ran on Broadway from January to April 2010. Internet Broadway Database (Broadway League)
- 2013-01-17 Official Johansson opened on Broadway as Margaret in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a run that lasted until March 30, 2013. Internet Broadway Database (Broadway League)
- 2014-01-31 Official Oxfam accepted her decision to step down as a Global Ambassador, saying her role promoting SodaStream was incompatible with the post and thanking her for her contributions. Oxfam statement
- 2020 Official At the 2020 Academy Awards she was nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for Marriage Story and Actress in a Supporting Role for Jojo Rabbit. Renรฉe Zellweger and Laura Dern won those categories. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, ceremony record
- 2025-05 Official Eleanor the Great, her first feature as director, starring June Squibb as a 94-year-old woman, screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. Festival de Cannes
Documents
- FOX 11 Los Angeles report on the Black Widow suit and Disney's response (July 29, 2021)
- TheWrap report on Disney's motion to compel arbitration (Aug. 21, 2021)
- AP report on the settlement and joint statement, via WJLA (Sept. 30, 2021)
- OpenAI, How the voices for ChatGPT were chosen (May 19, 2024, updated May 22, 2024)
- Axios report with Johansson's statement on Sky (May 20, 2024)
- Washington Post report on the Sky casting records, via Anchorage Daily News (May 23, 2024)
- Variety report on the Lisa AI advert (Nov. 2023)
- NBC News report on her call for AI legislation (Feb. 12, 2025)
- Euronews report on the Stealing Isn't Innovation letter (Jan. 22, 2026)
- The Local France (AFP) report on the Paris novel ruling (July 3, 2014)
- CBS Los Angeles report on the sentencing of Christopher Chaney (Dec. 17, 2012)
- Oxfam, Oxfam accepts resignation of Scarlett Johansson (Jan. 31, 2014)
- Academy Awards, 92nd ceremony nominees and winners (2020)
- Internet Broadway Database, Scarlett Johansson credits and awards
- Festival de Cannes, Eleanor the Great (2025)
Sources behind this file
- Variety interview with Scarlett Johansson
- CNA report on the settlement
- The Hollywood Reporter report on the settlement
- The Hollywood Reporter report on Disney's arbitration filing
- Disney's motion to compel arbitration, Case No. 21STCV27831
- Variety report on Disney lawyer Daniel Petrocelli's comments
- The Hollywood Reporter report on the CAA statement
- Variety report on the suit's contract claims
- The Hollywood Reporter report on the lawsuit
- CNN Business report on the lawsuit
- Variety report on Disney's statement
- Variety500 profile of Scarlett Johansson