Meghan Markle just can’t escape controversy. In March 2025, the Duchess of Sussex released her long-anticipated Netflix lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan,” and while insiders confirmed that she was prepared for some backlash, the royal defector surely wasn’t expecting the overwhelming wave of negativity that followed its debut. Some of it stems from Meghan referring to herself as “Meghan Sussex” in the show, a title many consider moot since she and her husband, Prince Harry, spectacularly left the royal family in 2020. “Meghan may be fair game for criticism, but she is also being targeted with death threats online over the show,” an insider pointed out to Radar Online. “Some of the stuff on message boards, forums, the dark web and Telegram is really disturbing.”

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Meghan’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, roasted his daughter in a way that made even her worst critics wince, ruthlessly dubbing “With Love, Meghan” completely inauthentic. Prominent celebrities voiced plenty of criticism of their own too, including Vogue Williams. The Irish model and podcaster, whose husband is Pippa Middleton’s brother-in-law, tore into Meghan on her hit show, “My Therapist Ghosted Me.” Williams had a problem with everything the duchess did on “With Love, Meghan,” from the rainbow fruit platter she made for her kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to her choice of clothes. 

The mother-of-three decried the sweater Meghan had draped around her shoulders in one episode as “disgusting.” Williams also took issue with her platter idea for kids, arguing, “I thought I was doing well mixing Rice Krispies and Cheerios — like, you can have two cereals in one! And she’s there like… Did you see the rainbow [platter]?” Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as several celebrities have completely turned on Meghan.

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Comedian and author Katherine Ryan used to be a fierce advocate for Meghan Markle. That is, until the Duchess of Sussex launched her Netflix lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan.” On her podcast, “Telling Everybody Everything,” Ryan strongly questioned the Duchess of Sussex’s authenticity, reasoning, “I don’t think she’s a bad person, but I think she likes cozying up to celebrities and she wants the hundred million dollar deal and she likes the fact that she’s married to a prince.” Ryan also noted that several of Meghan’s childhood stories seemed to frequently change.

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For instance, in one episode, the former actor claimed that her family lived on TV dinners when she was growing up, but in previous interviews she said their food was always “farm fresh.” Ryan asserted, “Her whole act just seems very manicured and very forced.” She also theorized that, just maybe, Meghan had also been lying about knowing nothing about the royal family prior to dating Prince Harry. Notably, the outspoken comedian felt very differently in 2022, when she publicly praised the duchess. “I love Meghan Markle’s voice and her confidence to challenge the norm and what’s expected of her in that role,” Ryan gushed at the time, per the Daily Mail.

Meghan McCain used to be a big fan of Meghan Markle’s — she admitted as much in a January 2025 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I was originally a Meghan Markle supporter, I thought she was cool, stylish and refreshing,” the former “View” co-host wrote, before acknowledging that Meghan and Prince Harry’s abrupt exit from the U.K. left a bad taste in her mouth. On her talk series, “Happy Hour,” the outspoken political commentator tore into the duchess after she launched the rebrand of American Riviera Orchard, now known as As Ever. “I cannot stand her […] I don’t want to eat her jam,” McCain professed, before adding insult to injury by confessing that she found both Meghan’s “Archetypes” podcast and her Netflix show terribly dull. 

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McCain also accused the former “Suits” star of not “living in reality,” and seemed to think she could help save her flailing career, if only Meghan would allow her. In the scathing post on X, McCain proclaimed that she no longer understood what American audiences even wanted. “Americans want real, raw, uncensored,” she wrote. “All of this even in the trailer [of her show] is highly curated, produced and out of touch.” McCain then advised the duchess to focus her energy on being an advocate for people in need instead of producing glossy content that only serves her public image.

During a 2018 appearance on “The Late Late Show” controversial TV host Piers Morgan infamously recounted how the Duchess of Sussex slid into his DMs and they started communicating regularly, with her even sending Morgan some early “Suits” episodes since he was a fan of the legal drama. The two eventually met up in person for a drink and really hit it off, with Morgan adding that, unbeknownst to him, Meghan met up with Prince Harry later that same evening. “And that was the last I ever heard from Meghan Markle,” the former “Good Morning Britain” host quipped. “She ghosted me […] I really liked her.” 

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Morgan suspected that the Netflix star moved on so easily from their friendship because she’s a “slight social climber.” He reiterated this belief during an interview with “Access Hollywood,” confirming that he’d heard likewise from other people who used to be friends with Meghan and had received the same treatment. “To me, it raised a few alarm bells; she was prepared to just cut people,” the divisive TV personality admitted, noting that he’d be a tad concerned about this behavior if he was part of the royal family. 

Morgan fully turned on his purported former friend in 2021, following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s jaw-dropping interview with Oprah Winfrey. In the aftermath, he raged on “GMB” about not believing anything Meghan said, from her claims about racism to her allegations that the palace refused to help with her deteriorating mental health (via the BBC). Morgan’s on-air rant about Meghan Markle broke a record for being the most-complained about TV moment in Britain that year. Morgan’s comments ultimately led to him losing his job but he refused to issue an apology.

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Many listeners ripped Meghan Markle’s first podcast, “Archetypes,” apart when it launched in 2022, and it seems that Spotify wasn’t too impressed with it either, ending its deal with the Sussexes after just 12 episodes. Spotify executive Bill Simmons, who also happens to host a podcast of his own, had no part in the discussions the streaming giant had with the royal couple when it cut them loose — but Simmons wished he had. “‘The F***ing Grifters.’ That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” the host spat on his eponymous podcast (via CNN). He then tore into Prince Harry, in particular, claiming that he had trouble coming up with any good ideas.

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“I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea,” Simmons teased, promising listeners, “It’s one of my best stories […] F**k them. The grifters.” The outspoken Spotify executive previously criticized the prince, and indirectly his wife, when he accused Harry of using the royal family for financial gain because no one would pay any attention to the Sussexes unless they were talking about The Firm. Spotify insiders, meanwhile, told The Guardian that “Archetypes” failed to meet productivity benchmarks which was, in part, why the streaming service ultimately ditched the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham reportedly tried to lend Meghan Markle a helping hand when she first moved to London, but their friendship quickly soured after the former “Suits” star accused Victoria of leaking information about her to the press. Prince Harry then called David Beckham, Victoria’s husband and his longtime friend, to straighten things out in what quickly devolved into an uncomfortable phone call. As a source disclosed to The Sun, “Harry was very polite, but obviously it was a pretty awkward exchange and David was mortified.”

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Much like many other A-list friends, Megxit gravely affected how the Beckhams saw the Sussexes. As an insider explained to the Daily Mail, “Both David and Victoria put great importance on family and would never, ever turn on their relations the way that Harry and Meghan did.” Further, sources hinted to the New York Post that relations were even more strained between Meghan and Victoria after news broke that both women had signed deals with Netflix to produce shows, confirming that they were “no longer on speaking terms.” 

Netflix executives may have played a part in this issue too. During the 2025 “Next on Netflix” showcase, the fashion designer’s upcoming show (which was yet to receive an official title) was heavily promoted, whereas Meghan’s, which was set to launch relatively soon after, was barely mentioned. To add insult to injury, comedian John Mulaney took a jab at the royal defectors during the event when he joked, “Not since Harry and Meghan has Netflix given more money to someone without a specific plan,” (via news.com.au). 

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