ROYALSMeghan Markle's 'Archetypes' Interviews Were Not Conducted by Her, Audio Clips Added Later: Report
June 20 2023, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
After news spread that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were dumped by Spotify, a new report claims the former actress, 41, didn't actually do the interviews herself.
According to Podnews, some of the sit-downs were done by Meghan's staff, and her voice was added later.
Rumors circulated in August 2022 that Meghan wasn't directly interviewing her guests when writer Allison Yarrow posed in front of a sign for the audio production house Gimlet Media, where she thanked an "Archetypes" producer for being “an excellent interviewer.”
As OK! previously reported, the duo, who moved to California in 2020, were dropped by the streaming giant in mid-June.
"We have made the difficult but necessary decision to make a strategic realignment of our group and reduce our global podcast vertical and other functions by approximately 200 people, or 2% of Spotify’s workforce," the company's head of podcast business Sahar Elhabashi said in a statement.
But it sounds like this isn't the end for the Duchess, as she is "continuing to develop more content for the ‘Archetypes’ audience on another platform,” an Archewell Productions spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal.
- 'F****** Grifters': Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Bashed by Spotify Exec Bill Simmons After Brand Cuts Ties
- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Spotify Deal Fell Apart After Subscribers Were Left Unsatisfied
- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Left 'Humiliated' After Their 'Laughable' Ideas Were Shut Down by Spotify
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Public relations expert Edward Coram James noted how Harry's popularity has plunged ever since he moved to the U.S., which could be one of the many reasons the podcast didn't work out despite topping the charts. "If there is a massive nuclear backlash against the U.K. press from the British public then that will have an effect and U.K. politicians will feel like they have to get involved," he explained in an interview.
"The problem is Harry and Meghan, or specifically Harry, is not the person to achieve change in the media landscape. The reason for that is quite simple, he is deeply, deeply unpopular in the U.K.," he added.
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Meanwhile, Spotify exec Bill Simmons didn't hold back when talking about the couple.
"I wish I was involved in the Meghan and Harry [leaving] Spotify negotiation. 'The f****** grifters.' That’s the podcast we should of launched with them," he quipped. "I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories."
