Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are Reportedly ‘Sick and Tired of’ People Taking ‘Cheap Shots at Them’
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven’t publicly issued any comment beyond the joint statement their Archewell spokesperson and Spotify released when their deal with the audio company ended. Yet amid public criticism of the couple and their work ethic going viral, a source tells Us Weekly that Meghan and Harry have hit their limit with the negative feedback.
Examples of criticism that made widespread headlines include United Talent Agency’s CEO Jeremy Zimmer saying Meghan “was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent,” and Spotify exec Bill Simmons calling her and Harry “f*cking grifters” on his podcast.
A source told Us, “It seems to be one assault after another these days, with people lining up to take cheap shots at them. Quite frankly, both she and Harry are sick and tired of it.”
The couple is focused on their next chapter and has “a ton of exciting things in the pipeline. [They’re] ready to come back stronger.”
Turns out, there was some behind-the-scenes drama with the rollout of their Spotify deal ending, a second source told Us. “Spotify was supposed to release a statement saying how great it was to work with Meghan, but they didn’t,” a source said. That insider added that the Spotify team “had been pushing Harry and Meghan for more content over the last year.”
Meghan and Harry’s Archewell Audio and Spotify announced on June 16 that they “have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.” (That series was Meghan’s Archetypes podcast. Harry didn’t release any podcasts with Spotify.) The couple had signed a $20 million deal with Spotify back in late 2020.
Meghan and Harry still have their deal with Netflix. Netflix released a statement this week making it clear that they are not at risk of losing it. That deal is believed to be worth £81 million ($103 million).
Netflix’s spokesperson told Entertainment Tonight Canada, “We value our partnership with Archewell Productions. Harry & Meghan was Netflix’s biggest documentary debut ever, and we’ll continue to work together on a number of projects, including the upcoming documentary series Heart of Invictus.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.