Meghan Markle’s Podcast Already Mocked Before It’s Out

Meghan Markle’s new podcast has had a bumpy ride before it has even been released, just a couple of weeks after a backlash from TV critics over her Netflix show.

The Duchess of Sussex launched cooking series With Love, Meghan on March 4 and on Saturday announced a podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. The new audio series has already picked up criticism, including in America.

Among the critics, pop culture podcaster Zack Peter said in a TikTok video: “What era are we in? Is this 2016? First she gave us her Pinterest cooking show on Netflix from like 2015 and she just jumped a year ahead into this hashtag girl boss era where she’s going to launch yet another podcast that’s not that different from Archetypes.

“Listen, I’m not trying to hate on this lady but it’s over exposure at this point and the audience already finds you a bit insufferable.”

Why It Matters

With Love faced a wave of deeply critical reviews, including from upmarket American brands that she had worked with before, like Time and New York Magazine.

Straight off the back of a crushing response to her Netflix show, she has to pick herself back up and do it all again for her podcast.

And all in the face of signs America is starting to view her as people do in Britain, where for many years she has been criticized over every new appearance and project.

All that suggests the next few weeks until launch day may be an anxious time for Meghan as she waits to find out whether her latest offering meets a different response.

What to Know

Peter’s TikTok hot take was liked more than 7k times and viewed almost 90k times.

“Well Meghan Markle just announced her latest business venture,” he said. “A new podcast that nobody asked for… because that went so great when she had her deal with Spotify.

“Its called Confessions of a Female Founder, I’m sorry… what has she founded? She founded herself a prince that she had never heard of. She founded racism in the royal family.”

Outside the pop culture sphere, Meghan also continues to be a regular target for American conservatives and was mocked by Laura Ingraham on her Fox News show.

“What’s this I hear about Markle launching another podcast?” Ingraham said. “Oh my god, enough with the podcasts.”

“I’m good at branding,” she continued. “Here’s what I’d call it—insufferable.”

Despite the critical backlash, Meghan’s cooking show did make the Top 10 on Netflix, unlike Prince Harry’s recent documentary, Polo, or his 2023 series, Heart of Invictus.

So it is possible she will attract listeners to Confessions of a Female Founder once it’s out.

She may still, though, be adjusting to a new reality in which some Americans queue up to criticize her every move in much the same way some Brits have been doing for years.

What People Are Saying

Meghan Markle announced her new podcast on Instagram on Saturday: “I’m so excited to share with you something else I’ve been working on: Confessions of a Female Founder, my new podcast with @lemonadamedia!

“I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities, and scaled small ideas into massively successful businesses.

“They’re opening up, sharing their tips, tricks (and tumbles), and letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, as ever.

“It has been absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun! (Because what’s the point if we can’t have some fun on this wild adventure?)”

What Happens Next

Meghan announced the show’s release date on Instagram: “First episode is April 8th!”

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.

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