The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 7: Oct. 2022 - Apr. 2023

[HRHHermione]

There were a few things about this Variety interview I found interesting, and they were mostly throwaway lines:

1) There’s a sentence about how she’s better known as Meghan Markle rather than Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, which implies her fame is separate from her marriage. It might mean nothing but I noticed it.

2) There’s a part about how The Cut interview was bad because she’s too open and trusting, which implies she should not have trusted the writer. This is unfortunate because it throws the journalist under the bus and doesn’t take any accountability

3) there’s a bit about how it makes fast food workers so excited when they come through the drive thru that felt quite out of touch.


Overall, this interview went well for her- but it was a tightly controlled and publicist approved Q&A rather than a more rigorous profile piece like the last one. She does much better with a script.

I do find it odd that she’s already distancing herself from the Netflix series and wonder how Netflix and the director feel about that.

 

[Prinsara]

There were a few things about this Variety interview I found interesting, and they were mostly throwaway lines:

1) There’s a sentence about how she’s better known as Meghan Markle rather than Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, which implies her fame is separate from her marriage. It might mean nothing but I noticed it.

That's only because titles aren't well-understood in the US, especially semi-obscure ones. All Meghan's fame is tied to her marriage.

It's also the same way people are more familiar with "Kate Middleton".

 

[HRHHermione]

That's only because titles aren't well-understood in the US, especially semi-obscure ones. All Meghan's fame is tied to her marriage.

It's also the same way people are more familiar with "Kate Middleton".

See, that’s why I thought it was weird. Meghan has always used her title in her commercial work previously. This is the first time I’ve ever heard it said she’s known better by her maiden name. This is a piece that her publicist and her had a lot of input into, and probably final copy approval. It could mean nothing, but it also could be a baby step towards a rebrand that focuses on her much more than her marriage.

I kind of hope it’s true. It would be better for everyone if she could break away from commercializing her title and in laws.

 

[Alison H]

Some European newspapers never stopped referring to Diana as "Lady Di", and a lot of media outlets still refer to the Princess of Wales as "Kate Middleton", and even to the new Queen as "Camilla Parker Bowles". It happens with other people too: tennis commentators persist in referring to Lady Murray/Kim Murray as "Kim Sears".

I'd also quite like to see Meghan rebrand herself as Meghan Markle, and focus on her work rather than the Royal Family, but a lot of their work is as a couple and I can't really see Harry rebranding himself as "Harry Mountbatten-Windsor".

I think the Deal or No Deal thing was a lot more positive. OK, it was Meghan talking about herself again, but at least she was talking about her own things, not bleating about how badly she was treated when a bit of smoke came out of a heater in an empty room. She's clearly got a lot to say about a lot of things, and hopefully she'll say them instead of complaining about the royals.

 

[Erin9]

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 7: October 2022-

There were a few things about this Variety interview I found interesting, and they were mostly throwaway lines:

1) There’s a sentence about how she’s better known as Meghan Markle rather than Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, which implies her fame is separate from her marriage. It might mean nothing but I noticed it.

2) There’s a part about how The Cut interview was bad because she’s too open and trusting, which implies she should not have trusted the writer. This is unfortunate because it throws the journalist under the bus and doesn’t take any accountability

3) there’s a bit about how it makes fast food workers so excited when they come through the drive thru that felt quite out of touch.


Overall, this interview went well for her- but it was a tightly controlled and publicist approved Q&A rather than a more rigorous profile piece like the last one. She does much better with a script.

I do find it odd that she’s already distancing herself from the Netflix series and wonder how Netflix and the director feel about that.

Yeah- those things stood out to me too.

Maybe she is trying to re-brand as Meghan Markle, rather than insert her title into everything. That would be for the best, I think. Like another poster said though- I have difficulty seeing Harry going by Harry M-W.

I did laugh a little though that she’s best known as Meghan Markel. For internet searches, sure. But- she’s actually best known for marrying a foreign prince/quitting the RF. Not for anything she’s actually done- before or after. Her marriage is still her actual selling point. It’s the only reason anyone knows her name- either of them. So while she can separate herself name wise- that’s the only reason she has these opportunities, which I honestly think she hasn’t done a great job with. But, anyway.

Regarding The Cut interview- it was such a typical response from her. Taking responsibility or accountability is not her strong suit. It’s always someone else’s fault if things don’t go right. In this case- Meghan was just too trusting. She’s not responsible for what she says. Annoying, but expected and typical of her.

And I’m not surprised she made a point of addressing the interview and how it wasn’t her fault that she was pretty much universally criticized.

I wonder if the Cut interview is one reason she’s already distancing herself from Netflix. She/they wants someone else to blame in advance. Forget the fact that they wanted this, and it’ll be their own words. She may realize some of the material may not be flattering- particularly after the death of TQ. It is very notable distancing though.

Yes- the fast food workers being excited to see her was a bit much. She sounds like she really likes being famous and getting attention. Which I tend to think she does- as long as it’s all good attention.

I also noticed that bit where she said that the family would have “expectations” of her kids, but she just wanted them to be happy or something like that. There was a bit of shade there to the RF imo. Better than usual, but there imo. And really- the expectations always were for William’s kids, especially George. I imagine the family hopes they’re happy and productive people.

I realize Meghan had to address TQ’s death- but talking about how much she admired her as a woman leader was a bit tough to swallow after the bashing and threatening to bash of the family and institution repeatedly. She was the head of it. You bash it, it includes her imo. But I realize they see it differently.

I do think Meghan should stay away from literally telling people she’s “smart”.

The part about people watching her in Suits eating food was interesting. She was talking about how tv watching and talking about shows afterwards has changed. I don’t want to be overly picky- but Suits wasn’t Friends. It was no where close to a hit show. What she seemed to be trying to refer back to didn’t quite work to me. Not referring to her own show in that context anyway. And Suits was pretty recent. TV viewing was already changing.

I agree this interview was generally much better than the Cut. It was clearly more controlled. It would have been hard for this to be a bigger train wreck though.

I didn’t find it terribly interesting though. She talks a lot and says relatively little imo. I found it difficult to actually read. I still haven’t thoroughly read it.

 

[Mirabel]

Overall, this interview went well for her- but it was a tightly controlled and publicist approved Q&A rather than a more rigorous profile piece like the last one. She does much better with a script.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Sussexes say that the Oprah interview would be the only interview? Ever?

Yet now it seems like it's one after another, with no end in sight.

 

[Durham]

I also noticed that bit where she said that the family would have “expectations” of her kids, but she just wanted them to be happy or something like that. There was a bit of shade there to the RF imo. Better than usual, but there imo. And really- the expectations always were for William’s kids, especially George. I imagine the family hopes they’re happy and productive people.

I realize Meghan had to address TQ’s death- but talking about how much she admired her as a woman leader was a bit tough to swallow after the bashing and threatening to bash of the family and institution repeatedly. She was the head of it. You bash it, it includes her imo. But I realize they see it differently.

They're the offspring of a younger child. They're no more or less important than other cadet lines .The suggestion in the interview that somehow “the family” will have “expectations” of them makes them sound as though they are somehow uniquely special or important.

They will fade into obscurity over time. Unless of course they mimic their parents in seeking celebrity status.

The less MM says about the late monarch the better.

 

[HRHHermione]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Sussexes say that the Oprah interview would be the only interview? Ever?



Yet now it seems like it's one after another, with no end in sight.

I don’t remember that, but it definitely was billed as a one time telling of their story. I have to admit I’m both dreading and looking forward to the Netflix documentary because I think it’s going to be a train wreck if Meghan already feels the need to get ahead of it.

 

[Katymcwaity]

I didn’t find it terribly interesting though. She talks a lot and says relatively little imo. I found it difficult to actually read. I still haven’t thoroughly read it.

Me too, lots of words stuck together which don’t really mean a lot. Especially when asked about the Oprah interview. Its a shame no one confronts with inaccuracies but I guess they wouldn’t have an interview.

I think there is forward planning going on with regards to the Netflix docuseries is basically trying to head off any fallout by saying its not how we would wanted it. There is maybe a realisation that the landscape has changed with the death of the Queen or that their previous interviews did them no good at all!

As for their day to day lives, jeez its sounds boring! I could think of nothing worse than being couped up with my husband, not doing anything particularly tangible. Obviously, this will eventually become an issue, there is only so many times Meghan can tell us how smart/beautiful/talented/picked on she is, isn’t there?

 

[HRHHermione]

It is interesting to see the repeated talking points pop up as themes. For example, it’s new for Meghan to try to brand herself as smart first and pretty second. She’s referred to herself as growing up smart instead of pretty on multiple episodes of her podcast now and then made it a theme in this interview. It’s a bit clumsily done. That’s definitely something you want to show not tell.

Interestingly enough though, there are things in this interview, as always, that contradict previous stories.

If you look at Meghan’s biography on the official royal family website from circa 2018, which can be accessed via the Internet WayBack Machine, she is listed as multilingual, stating she’s fluent in Spanish and French. In this interview, she says she studied French in high school but has lost it and is trying to relearn it on DuoLingo. I found that interesting.

 

[Durham]

Having just read the whole interview this stood out:

"she grows animated talking the warmth & support she received from the thousands of citizens she interacted with during her time in the UK".?

As someone might once have said somewhere: "whaaaat"

Chutzpah just doesn't do it justice.

 

[Alison H]

At least this is all more positive. She's not slagging off the UK and the Royal Family, and she's not claiming that she was badly treated here. Focusing on being "smart" is a lot better than lying about your in-laws, and moaning. Maybe she's moving on.

It's a lot about her and not much about Harry, of late. That's not a criticism, just an observation.

 

[TLLK]

Good point Alison H. I've been hoping for the day that the Sussexes moved on from their criticism of the British Royal Family and the monarchy to finally arrive. I'm hopeful that this might be a turning point for the Sussexes much like in the words of King Charles III''s ascension speech "as they continue to build their lives overseas."

 

[Somebody]

It is interesting to see the repeated talking points pop up as themes. For example, it’s new for Meghan to try to brand herself as smart first and pretty second. She’s referred to herself as growing up smart instead of pretty on multiple episodes of her podcast now and then made it a theme in this interview. It’s a bit clumsily done. That’s definitely something you want to show not tell.

Interestingly enough though, there are things in this interview, as always, that contradict previous stories.

If you look at Meghan’s biography on the official royal family website from circa 2018, which can be accessed via the Internet WayBack Machine, she is listed as multilingual, stating she’s fluent in Spanish and French. In this interview, she says she studied French in high school but has lost it and is trying to relearn it on DuoLingo. I found that interesting.

Great observation. They indeed seem to have new talking points. And my guess is that Meghan is not the only royal whose fluency in languages is overstated in their biography.

Good point Alison H. I've been hoping for the day that the Sussexes moved on from their criticism of the British Royal Family and the monarchy to finally arrive. I'm hopeful that this might be a turning point for the Sussexes much like in the words of King Charles III''s ascension speech "as they continue to build their lives overseas."

I hope so to. However, I am not sure that the new message 'It is important that you recognize me for how smart I am and not just for my looks' is one that has much to add to the world - but hopefully they will find ways to contribute.

 

[Marengo]

I am sorry, but I have been trying to learn French during the pandemic. It took me many - many hours of lessons and study to reach a level where you can have conversations correctly. And even now it is still not fluent after hundreds of hours in a small class. In the end you only learn it when you speak it a lot.

In my experience Duo Lingo is great to get some vocabulary. But talking a language requires much more effort.

 

[Prinsara]

I am sorry, but I have been trying to learn French during the pandemic. It took me many - many hours of lessons and study to reach a level where you can have conversations correctly. And even now it is still not fluent after hundreds of hours in a small class. In the end you only learn it when you speak it a lot.

Duo Lingo is great to get some vocabulary. It i great to get the basics. But talking a language requires much more effort.

It is rather surprising that someone with Meghan's resources does not have a French tutor, or isn't going to classes. But then veracity is not the Duchess's strong suit.

Duolingo is not bad, though, if you already have some knowledge/education in the language and are trying to maintain or refresh what you know. I'm not sure how helpful it is for Meghan, but that is the situation she describes.

Furthermore, Meghan's prior knowledge of Spanish probably helps with another Romance language.

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

I have been wondering as talk about a “Netflix documentary” became more mainstream, when this became accepted as fact. Frankly, I dismissed this as a wild rumor when talk started circulating and never believed it as recently as days ago. People would talk about this with certainty and I wondered where on earth it was coming from. Every time I’ve given this couple the benefit of the doubt on a wild rumor I’ve been proven wrong.

I’ve always maintained that the Sussex couple’s actions are fairly predictable, but if you had “Harry and Meghan selling rights to their ‘love story’ to Netflix” on your Bingo card three years ago, I’d like a word with you on the lottery numbers.

 

[Erin9]

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 7: October 2022-

It is interesting to see the repeated talking points pop up as themes. For example, it’s new for Meghan to try to brand herself as smart first and pretty second. She’s referred to herself as growing up smart instead of pretty on multiple episodes of her podcast now and then made it a theme in this interview. It’s a bit clumsily done. That’s definitely something you want to show not tell.

Interestingly enough though, there are things in this interview, as always, that contradict previous stories.

If you look at Meghan’s biography on the official royal family website from circa 2018, which can be accessed via the Internet WayBack Machine, she is listed as multilingual, stating she’s fluent in Spanish and French. In this interview, she says she studied French in high school but has lost it and is trying to relearn it on DuoLingo. I found that interesting.

What’s also interesting to me about Meghan telling us that she’s smart is that it goes back to how controlling she is of her image.

She can’t let people draw their own conclusions. She has to tell us: I am smart. Repeatedly. That’s how she wants to be seen, and she’ll just say it. The actual smart thing to do would be to show not tell though, as you said.

It’s the same idea with pointedly taking no responsibility for the Cut disaster. Not her fault. Not really her. She had to throw someone else under the bus to help fix her image. (Reminds me a bit of “fixing” the crying narrative.) This whole interview was an attempt to fix that the Cut mess imo. To show us the real her.

Or telling us in advance that it’s not her responsibility how she comes across on Netflix. (I shudder to think what’s coming should that footage see the light of day given that statement. It’s probably not good if she’s already distancing herself.) Image fixing in advance.

She also talks about what she wants actors in the future to focus on when playing her. More attempts at image control.

Indeed. She does contradict herself. French was a good example. Too bad we’ll probably never see an interview where she’s actually called out on her contradictory statements- or lies. They just get to stand.

This interview was more controlled clearly and better than the last- but Meghan is still Meghan imo. She still comes across to me as controlling, image obsessed, likes attention/being famous, is unwilling to be accountable for what she says or does, talks a lot and says little, contradicts herself, tosses a little shade here and there and so on. The same characteristics are all there- just muted a bit.

 

[camelot23ca]

It is interesting to see the repeated talking points pop up as themes. For example, it’s new for Meghan to try to brand herself as smart first and pretty second. She’s referred to herself as growing up smart instead of pretty on multiple episodes of her podcast now and then made it a theme in this interview. It’s a bit clumsily done. That’s definitely something you want to show not tell.

Interestingly enough though, there are things in this interview, as always, that contradict previous stories.

If you look at Meghan’s biography on the official royal family website from circa 2018, which can be accessed via the Internet WayBack Machine, she is listed as multilingual, stating she’s fluent in Spanish and French. In this interview, she says she studied French in high school but has lost it and is trying to relearn it on DuoLingo. I found that interesting.

Regarding Meghan’s intelligence, there’s been a lot of telling and not much showing. She went into a field that doesn’t require or value intelligence. She was a decent but forgettable actor. She doesn’t seem to have spent much time learning about what marrying into the BRF would mean. That said, because of who she married, she was handed the opportunity to be extremely famous (because she definitely values that) and, with time, reasonably influential, but left it all behind because she wasn’t allowed to be famous or influential in exactly the way she wanted. There’s been no logic or consistency to the things she’s said over the past few years. When she goes off script she can border on incoherent.

For all that Harry wasn’t academically strong, I’d still put him ahead of Meghan because he has the ability to project warmth and make people he meets feel like a genuine connection has been made. That’s a powerful kind of innate intelligence. Meghan knows how to read a certain type of speech well, and sounds ok when answering prepared, unchallenging questions - those are skills that can be easily taught.

 

[HRHHermione]

I have been wondering as talk about a “Netflix documentary” became more mainstream, when this became accepted as fact. Frankly, I dismissed this as a wild rumor when talk started circulating and never believed it as recently as days ago. People would talk about this with certainty and I wondered where on earth it was coming from. Every time I’ve given this couple the benefit of the doubt on a wild rumor I’ve been proven wrong.

I’ve always maintained that the Sussex couple’s actions are fairly predictable, but if you had “Harry and Meghan selling rights to their ‘love story’ to Netflix” on your Bingo card three years ago, I’d like a word with you on the lottery numbers.

I wouldn’t have called it before they moved to the U.S. but after they signed their deal with Netflix, I did wonder what content they would have to produce. For a moment, I really hoped they’d follow in the direction of the Obamas and lean into interesting documentary content, like Crip Camp, which was beautiful.

But the longer it went without any partnerships or projects announced, the more likely a focus on them as individuals became. Now the project is confirmed and it must be coming out soon if they are trying to get ahead of the stories.

 

[Ista]

Several off topic posts have been removed. Please stick to the current topic posted for discussion.

 

[TLLK]

I have been wondering as talk about a “Netflix documentary” became more mainstream, when this became accepted as fact. Frankly, I dismissed this as a wild rumor when talk started circulating and never believed it as recently as days ago. People would talk about this with certainty and I wondered where on earth it was coming from. Every time I’ve given this couple the benefit of the doubt on a wild rumor I’ve been proven wrong.

I’ve always maintained that the Sussex couple’s actions are fairly predictable, but if you had “Harry and Meghan selling rights to their ‘love story’ to Netflix” on your Bingo card three years ago, I’d like a word with you on the lottery numbers.

I believe that the couple would have agreed to Netflix producing a series on their love story as part of the initial agreement with the company.

 

[Heavs]

At least this is all more positive. She's not slagging off the UK and the Royal Family, and she's not claiming that she was badly treated here. Focusing on being "smart" is a lot better than lying about your in-laws, and moaning. Maybe she's moving on.

It's a lot about her and not much about Harry, of late. That's not a criticism, just an observation.

That is definitely a good thing. However it appears to be damage control for things they have done that backfired (Cut interview) and things they're about to do that might badly backfire and be embarrassing now Charles holds the power (Netflix doc, Harry's memoirs). I'm not sure she's actually moving on from things she said a month ago and things they have said repeatedly over the last nearly 2 years. Especially as she still doesn't take any responsibility for anything she said (can't write that she compared herself to Mandela if she never said it) But we'll see, maybe this will last.

I’ve always maintained that the Sussex couple’s actions are fairly predictable, but if you had “Harry and Meghan selling rights to their ‘love story’ to Netflix” on your Bingo card three years ago, I’d like a word with you on the lottery numbers.

They were being so coy and controlling of their privacy over certain aspects of their lives that I might have agreed with you then but once she gave Omid Scobie those nauseating details for FF a reality show is only a skip and a jump away.

They could try to be like the Obamas and focus on producing great content for kids or Meghan could collaborate with female creators that don't feature stereotypes but apart from Pearl which went nowhere they don't seem to have been interested. Their brand is still mostly about either being royal or trashing the royals. Maybe execs were only interested in that. But for someone who did want privacy and hates bad press and wants to control her narrative, Meghan is naïve if she thought their love story and adventures in being American Royals trying to do Royal and Humanitarian Things in the US wasn't going to raise eyebrows.

 

[Ista]

Several posts have been deleted, as they ignored a moderator note that the subject was off topic. Accordingly, the thread has been closed.

 

[JessRulz]

New event from Harry this week:

Courtesy of TLLK

Prince Harry reveals he 'thought there was only one way to live' before he started going to therapy - and says the process has helped him understand his 'value' during a surprise appearance at a mental health summit in San Francisco

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...surprise-mental-health-summit-appearance.html

Courtesy of Curryong

'The blinkers came off': Harry on royal life in surprise speech after Meghan interview
Prince Harry was one of the speakers at a summit held in San Francisco on Wednesday.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/roya...ers-of-scale-betterup-meghan-markle-interview


This thread will remain closed to allow for calmer heads to prevail due to recent off-topic discussions.

 

[Marengo]

As forwarded by TLLK:

Meghan has a speaking engagement in Indiana coming up.

https://www.womensfund.org/power-of-women/

The latest release of the Archetypes podcast was just released.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainme...t/news-story/39ecf3749141f792d46cefdcb0d43f8b

 

[Granada]

Well I'm just going to say this, has Meghan even thought of the old adage, "less is more" ?
I'm just thinking that She is oversaturating the Market for interest in all things 'Meghan".

The weekly Podcasts, The Cut magazine Interview and the latest one with Variety seems to be, over selling her brand.

Which might turn out to be very counterproductive, as Meghan seems to have to walk back statements made in the Podcasts and in the Interviews. And getting Public pushback from former coworkers too. Also being called out by Whoopie Goldberg on The View no less .

She also *seems* to be distancing herself and Harry from the upcoming docu-series by stating that "its nice to be able to trust someone with our story, even IF THATS NOT HOW WE WOULD HAVE TOLD IT ...it means IT will go thru THEIR lens ".... Huh?????

This is NOT some non sanctioned cheesy Hallmark or Lifetime "Harry and Megan Movie".
This is them.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who gave the green light to proceed. Authorized and invited in Camera's..... into their world. Starring in, and orchestrating a docu-series about them. Meghan is not a Hollywood novice. So why she is backtracking now about responsibility for content ? Or interpretations to viewers on how they are portrayed ( or come off ) is very interesting.

I'm just curious, does She or her Team think that the Podcasts have been a success ? I dont. Publicity for her, yes and I'm sure financially profitable. But long-term ? A "game changer" as she likes to bring up ?
Not for Me. . Just more controversy and preaching about "tropes and archetypes" two words I'm heartily sick of hearing.

Meghan and Harry might do well to remember what Walter Baghot famously said about maintaining an "air of mystery" around the Monarchy. "That We must not let daylight in upon the magic".
Like I said, Less can be MORE, and there is a real danger of overselling her PR to the point where She becomes to visible, accessible and then .....irrelevant.

 

[TLLK]

Well I'm just going to say this, has Meghan even thought of the old adage, "less is more" ?
I'm just thinking that She is oversaturating the Market for interest in all things 'Meghan".

The weekly Podcasts, The Cut magazine Interview and the latest one with Variety seems to be, over selling her brand.

Which might turn out to be very counterproductive, as Meghan seems to have to walk back statements made in the Podcasts and in the Interviews. And getting Public pushback from former coworkers too. Also being called out by Whoopie Goldberg on The View no less .

She also *seems* to be distancing herself and Harry from the upcoming docu-series by stating that "its nice to be able to trust someone with our story, even IF THATS NOT HOW WE WOULD HAVE TOLD IT ...it means IT will go thru THEIR lens ".... Huh?????

This is NOT some non sanctioned cheesy Hallmark or Lifetime "Harry and Megan Movie".
This is them.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who gave the green light to proceed. Authorized and invited in Camera's..... into their world. Starring in, and orchestrating a docu-series about them. Meghan is not a Hollywood novice. So why she is backtracking now about responsibility for content ? Or interpretations to viewers on how they are portrayed ( or come off ) is very interesting.

I'm just curious, does She or her Team think that the Podcasts have been a success ? I dont. Publicity for her, yes and I'm sure financially profitable. But long-term ? A "game changer" as she likes to bring up ?
Not for Me. . Just more controversy and preaching about "tropes and archetypes" two words I'm heartily sick of hearing.

Meghan and Harry might do well to remember what Walter Baghot famously said about maintaining an "air of mystery" around the Monarchy. "That We must not let daylight in upon the magic".
Like I said, Less can be MORE, and there is a real danger of overselling her PR to the point where She becomes to visible, accessible and then .....irrelevant.

Regarding the Archetypes podcasts, this would have been part of the deal that the couple made with Spotify. It took quite a long time for the couple to release them, so I can understand why we're hearing them now. I should note that after the initial releases, there was a delay due to the death of QEII.



As to the upcoming docuseries, it's been hinted that the Sussexes wanted to make significant edits to the final version after the death of QEII. However that might not be possible if it was not included in their contract with Netflix. Based upon Meghan's recent statements in the Variety interview, yes I do believe that the couple are trying to distance themselves from the project.

 

[Granada]

TLLK, yes I understand that the Podcasts were part of a previously negotiated Spotify Deal. I'm just wondering if, going forward, there will be interest from A or B Listers to participate ?

Did Serena Williams shine ? The GOAT of Tennis, her career, new retirement and "beating the odds" in her youth discussions . Nope, NOT her fault either.
The general consensus and reviews were it was about Meghan, not about the person being interviewed. What was the big takeaway from the interview ? Archie and whatever happened with an electrical heater while on the South African Tour.

The "Diva" Podcast one with Mariah Carey, The "Bimbo" one with Paris Hilton ? Nothing really, the takeaway was, they were about Meghan, NOT her guests.
I think it will be interesting going forward to see who signs up for these, IF there are more in 2023. Thats all.

 

[Alison H]

I've never actually heard of either Issa Rae or Ziwe, who were on the latest podcast. I'm assuming that they're better known in the US, but they're not international megastars like Serena and Mariah. The podcasts do seem to be coming thick and fast, but presumably the agreement was for one a week.