Can Meghan Markle shake ‘grifter’ label? Sidelining Harry’s ‘toxic dramas’ could help

Meghan Markle “is all anyone is talking about,” one prominent Beverly Hills socialite said in an interview over the weekend.

This socialite’s view came after the American Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, were called “grifters” by a prominent Spotify podcaster and following reports that their $20 million podcasting deal with the company had come to an end and that Netflix also may not renew their reported $100 million contract.

Maybe being the topic of conversation around Hollywood is by design. Meghan is undergoing a major rebranding effort under the guidance of powerhouse Ari Emanuel, the chief of talent agency William Morris Endeavor, the Daily Mail reported Sunday. Rehabbing the image of the renegade duchess could reportedly include her signing a multimillion-deal to promote Dior, the French luxury brand associated with glamorous A-listers Charlize Theron and Rihanna — as well as with a polarizing personality like Johnny Depp.

Meghan could also help her image makeover by distancing herself from Harry’s “toxic dramas,” said Los Angeles-based public relations and reputation crisis expert Eric Schiffer. Harry’s dramas center around his fall-out from the British royal family and his ongoing legal battles with the U.K. tabloids, which have dredged up grievances from his royal past.

In interviews with the Daily Mail and this news organization, Schiffer said, “Meghan is wise to distance herself from her husband’s toxic dramas.” He noted that Meghan didn’t accompany her husband to King Charles III’s coronation in early May. She also stayed away from London’s High Court earlier this month, when Harry testified in his phone-hacking lawsuit against the Daily Mail. Royal observers also have remarked that Meghan was notably absent during all of Harry’s promotional efforts for his controversial tell-all memoir “Spare,” in which he slammed the monarchy and individual members of his family.

“Her strategy should involve distancing herself from (royal) family squabbles and even Harry to elevate herself even higher, and much more A-list in terms of brands,” Schiffer said.

Certainly, it’s been a tough few weeks for Meghan’s reputation and popularity on both sides of the Atlantic — as she continues to be as polarizing as Depp is, though for different reasons.

In May, she and Prince Harry were accused of exaggerating the dangers of being followed by paparazzi in New York City to garner global headlines and sympathy. Then on Friday, “news ricocheted around the world,” as the Daily Mail said, after the Wall Street Journal and other outlets confirmed that Spotify had ended its massive podcasting deal with Meghan and Harry. Just as this news broke, she and Harry were called “expletive grifters” by Bill Simmons, a Spotify executive and veteran podcaster and sports writer, on his eponymous podcast.

The New York Post had fun with a cover that labeled Harry and Meghan “Their Royal Laziness.” Simmons’ scathing assessment of the couple confirmed critics’ views that the Montecito-based millionaires been paid obscene amounts of money to produce very little content. With Spotify, the couple only delivered 12 episodes of Meghan’s “Archetypes” podcasts and a one-off holiday special over 2½ years.

New York Post – This is NOT a Spoof Front Page!

Goodnight to everyone except those who still don't accept that Harry & Meghan are shameless grifters. pic.twitter.com/hZG53sENgD

— Marie-Ann Detests Tories (@MarieAnnUK) June 18, 2023

But the world may soon forget that Meghan’s “silly little podcast” was canceled after one season if she signs the deal with Dior, the socialite told the Daily Mail. “There have been rumors for weeks that she’s about to sign a deal with Dior which has put the gossip mill into overdrive,” the socialite said.

The Daily Mail noted that Meghan has long been a fan of Dior — wearing the fashion label’s designs to her son Archie’s christening in 2019, and to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee service in 2022. Harry also has been spotted donning Dior — to his father’s coronation and to testify in court. Harry’s Dior choices were seen as possible “plugs” for his wife’s upcoming deal with the fashion house, the Daily Mail also reported. 

A source with WME also told the Daily Mail that the agency knew that the Spotify deal was coming to an end, though WME perhaps could not have expected that Simmons’ negative view of the couple would go viral. Simmons also said on his eponymous podcast: “I gotta 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.”

Bill Simmons absolutely HATES Prince Harry

We need to know what Harry said to Bill on that Zoom pic.twitter.com/lsxNoSPaCU

— The r/BillSimmons Podcast (@rBillSimmonsPod) June 16, 2023

Simmons previously criticized Harry for using his royal connections to stay in the news and to sell his book “Spare.” According to Deadline, Simmons said on his podcast in January: “Shoot this guy to the sun. I’m so tired of this guy. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about (expletive) and keeps giving interviews. … You weren’t even the favorite son.” Simmons also said he was embarrassed to have to share the Spotify brand with Harry. “The guy sucks.”

Over the weekend, the U.K. tabloid The Sun cited sources from Netflix who said the streaming service was done with the couple, even though their six-part documentary series, “Harry and Meghan,” was its most-watched TV show of 2022. Bosses at Netflix apparently believe that they’ve gotten all they can from the couple when it comes to dishing on the royal family, according to The Sun. The executives also feel that Meghan “lives in her own bubble” and has not “grasped the economic reality” that “the big bucks” she and Harry received from the streaming service 2020 do not exist in 2023.

Amid all the drama erupting over Spotify canceling Archetypes, and Simmons calling Meghan and Harry “grifters,” the duchess was spotted by paparazzi while heading to a salon appointment in Santa Barbara, the Daily Mail reported. Critics of the Sussexes suspected that Meghan, or someone representing her, probably called the paparazzi to let them know where she could be photographed.

OMG

SOOO predictable! Another paparazzi attention seeking stunt!
Girl, you’re embarrassing yourself. All set up and timed for Trooping The Colour

How ridiculously obvious. I’m cringing for her desperationhttps://t.co/ApLtkQ0Hvo via @MailOnline

— According2Taz (@according2_taz) June 17, 2023

Page Six said the duchess “looked somber” in the photos, but the Daily Mail also shared information about her casually chic attire, including the $195 La Ligne ivory-and-navy-striped sweater. It turns out the sweater is sold out in most sizes — perhaps because brands often sell out after Meghan is spotted wearing them, going back to when she first married into the royal family in 2018, E! News reported. 

U.K.-based PR expert Mark Borkowski suggested to the Daily Mail that Meghan — as well as Harry — might have more success selling luxury brands than in trying to have global influence on pressing social issues. Indeed, being calling “grifters,” or being mocked by the popular animated show “South Pack” shows that they face challenges in being taken seriously. With that, Borkowski said, “It is easier to be a clothes horse than an issues warrior.”