Meghan Markle accused of faking interviews for Spotify pod just days after being branded a 'f***ing grifter'

Last week, Harry and Meghan’s podcast series Archetypes was axed after producing just 12 episodes in 31 months.

In the wake of the public snubbing, trade publication Podnews heard from “multiple sources that some interviews on the show were done by other staffers, with her questions edited-in afterwards.”

Rumours had been swirling for some time over the extent of the Duchess’ involvement in the project, with the Spectator’s Cockburn branding Meghan “America’s laziest interviewer” back in November 2022.

The comments came following a major slip up by a guest, that might well have been intentional shade throwing, which appeared to reveal that Meghan doesn’t do her own stunts.

Taking to social media after an appearance in the episode To B’ or not to B’ of Meghan’s podcast, New York journalist Allison Yarrow thanked an audio producer called Farrah Safarfi for being an “excellent interviewer”.

Yet, in the episode which “explored the origin and plague” of the word b***h, Yarrow could be heard apparently discussing “the origin and plague” of the word b***h with Meghan.

Andy Scott, a staffer at Spotify’s Gimlet Media, has since taken to Twitter to explain: “We did occasionally have producers do interviews, though never the main ones, and we never edited her asking questions into interviews that producers conducted.”

Claiming the Spotify deal ended by mutual agreement, the Sussexes’ audio production company, Archewell, said: “We are proud of the series we made together.”

However, Bill Simmons, Head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, had a different take in his own podcast.

On Friday, Simmons said: "The f***ing grifters. That's the podcast we should have launched with them.

"I've 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. It's one of my best stories."

Simmons claimed: “He just whines about s**t and keeps giving interviews. Who gives a s**t? Who cares about your life? You weren’t even the favourite son.”

He continued: “You live in f***ing Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them.”

The Sussexes announced the podcast deal back in December 2020, though the partnership was not officially launched until August 2022.

Meghan Markle, 41, wanted the Archetypes podcast to investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back, with interviewees including Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, and Paris Hilton.