Piers Morgan claims Harry and Meghan became ‘staggeringly rich by trashing the royal family’ when he spoke with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking in London. Video / Newstalk ZB
It’s another blow for the Duchess of Sussex.
Things have seemingly gone from bad to worse for Meghan Markle after United Talent Agency’s CEO Jeremy Zimmer confessed that he wasn’t shocked that Spotify parted ways with the Sussexes and their podcast deal.
“Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent,” Zimmer, whose business mostly focuses on audio platforms, revealed to Semafor at the Cannes Lions advertising festival.
“And, you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a deal with the streaming giant back in December 2020, which was said to be valued at roughly $20 million (NZ$32 million).
The couple revealed that they “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together” in a joint statement with Spotify, reports New York Post.
Meghan Markle recording the first episode of her Archetypes podcast. Photo / Spotify
Harry and Meghan only released one podcast series, Archetypes, during their partnership with Spotify prior to their deal coming to an end.
The podcast explored the “labels that try to hold women back” and featured guest appearances from Serena Williams, Trevor Noah and Mariah Carey.
An insider previously revealed to New York Post that Archewell media company, launched by Harry and Meghan, didn’t produce enough content during the partnership to receive the full $20 million (NZ$32 million) payout.
Zimmer’s comments shed light on the ongoing shift in the podcasting sector, with big-named celebrity hosts and huge-budget podcast pitches taking the backseat and radio and talk show host personalities stealing the spotlight.
Oprah Winfrey sat down with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and discussed both the Netflix and Spotify deals. Photo / AP
Harry addressed his arrangement with Spotify as well as his Netflix deal during his sit-down chat with the talk show host. The royal then downplayed both the streaming giants’ roles, going on to say that they were “never part of the plan”.
“That was suggested by somebody else by the point of where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us,” he revealed, shirking his responsibility for the deals and the way they played out.
Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden revealed while on Palace Confidential that Spotify executives were likely not pleased with the royal’s comments.
Harry and Meghan in their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. Photo / Netflix
“It takes an awful lot of work [to produce a podcast]. It’s serious work, it’s planning,” Eden said. “You can’t just turn up and, ‘Oh, what shall we do today?’
“That’s shown by … you know … I had to listen to these podcasts for the programme so frankly, I’m not surprised it’s coming to an end,” he added.
Last week, Spotify exec and sportswriter Bill Simmons slammed Harry and Meghan on an episode of his podcast following the dissolution of their Spotify deal, calling the couple “f ***ing grifters”.
What’s more, rumours have swirled that some Markle’s interviews on her Archetypes podcast were not conducted by her and were allegedly done by members of the duchess’s staff, with her voice being filled in later on.
