New voice of Mario denies rumors that he narrated Nintendo Directs

Kevin Afghani, the new voice of Mario who succeeded the legendary Charles Martinet following his retirement, has spoken out to address a long-standing online rumor for the first time. Afghani officially took over the roles of Mario and Luigi with the 2023 Nintendo Switch release Super Mario Bros. Wonder and recently discussed his journey in an interview with USA Today.

During the interview, Afghani directly denied a theory that has circulated on the internet since his casting announcement, that he previously worked as a narrator for Nintendo Direct presentations.

“I was never in Nintendo Direct. There’s this weird narrative online I was in Nintendo Directs, I narrated Nintendo Directs. I never worked for Nintendo before being Mario.”

Afghani also reflected on his current moment in life, noting how he’s only now beginning to experience public recognition. He shared that fans have started to recognize him at events, whether for his work as Mario or for other voice roles, such as Amir from Warframe.

“I’m just not used to it, man,” Afghani said. “It’s wild.”

Afghani also talked about being a longtime fan of the Mario franchise, having played the games since childhood, and didn’t hesitate to speak when asked if he had played them:

“I have played basically every Mario game since I was a child. I love “Mario Kart.” I love “Luigi’s Mansion.” I love “Mario Party.” I love the 2D Mario games, the 3D Mario games. I even love the sports games. I love all of it.”

Thanks to Greatsong1 for the tip and USA Today for today’s news. Check out more Nintendo related updates here.