Spotify recently agreed to a mutual uncoupling with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who signed a pricey contract with the audio streamer back in 2020. At first the split seemed amicable — then Bill Simmons, head of their podcasting division, went off, calling them “f*cking grifters.” Now a new allegation has emerged calling into question the veracity of Markle’s podcast Archetypes.
According to Podnews (as caught by The New York Post), sources claim that some of the interviews Markle did for her podcast were not done by her. Instead, they were done by staffers. Markle then allegedly recorded her questions at another time, then edited them in to make it seem like she’d done the interviews.
It’s not the first time Markle and team have been accused of unseemly behavior. Back in 2021, a source told NY Post that they didn’t produce enough content to justify their $20 million deal.
Nor is it the first time people have suspected Markle of not doing her own interviews. As per NY Post, last year writer Alison Yarrow, while recording a chat for the podcast, took to Instagram to thank one of Archetypes’ producers for being “an excellent interviewer.” It was later reported that Markle’s questions were edited into the episode later.
The relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Spotify had already had its share of cracks. Last year they claimed they’d been begging them to police COVID-19 misinformation for months.
Markle and Archewell Audio, the podcast company owned by Harry and Markle, have not yet commented on the allegations. According to Archewell, Markle is hoping to take her show elsewhere.