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Meghan Markle faces a major crisis in her latest venture as high-profile female figures like Taylor Swift ignore invitations to appear in her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. The Duchess of Sussex officially launched her long-awaited podcast with Lemonada Media this month, featuring top female executives who have found their way in the highly competitive, male-dominated business world and achieved excellence. After three episodes, the ratings seem to veer off course, as viewers get increasingly disappointed with the choice of guests on the podcast.
Many have voiced their thoughts, noting that these female founders are not exactly the influential figures they’d hoped to “learn from” on the podcast, as they share insights into their unmatched business acumen and success secrets. While most hope subsequent episodes may feature these big names as the show gains more recognition, insiders have revealed that the chances of these high-profile figures gracing Meghan Markle’s podcast are even slimmer.
Taylor Swift and Other A-Listers Reportedly Ghost Meghan Markle’s Podcast
Speaking to the Daily Mail, one source close to the production team claimed Markle continues struggling to get hold of major A-listers, as “no one’s picking up the phone.” According to the source, the duchess and her team reached out to all the big names in the industry who established their empire from scratch to discuss their entrepreneurial journeys on her podcast. However, these calls went quietly ignored.
The insider claimed “the show is not landing,” with top female CEOs like Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift Productions Inc.), Hailey Bieber (Rhode), and Beyoncé (Ivy Park, Parkwood Entertainment), who fans could better relate to, and would love to watch on the show, giving Meghan Markle the cold shoulder. Hence, the podcast would not feature any of these anticipated guest celebrities anytime soon. The source divulged,
“There’s no Taylor Swift. No Beyoncé. Not even a Hailey Bieber. And when you’re pitching female empowerment, that’s a problem, It speaks volumes for her pulling power. She’s not happy about her lack of appeal.”
This lack of appeal has particularly raised eyebrows among fans. According to most, Meghan Markle’s reputation as a one-time royal, actress, and a resident of the celebrity-packed neighborhood of Montecito, should make snagging the likes of Taylor Swift and other high-profile guests for her podcast a literal walk in the park.
Markle’s Podcast Snub Sparks Conspiracy Theories
This different outcome has left tongues wagging, with numerous conspiracy theories blowing up. Via Reddit, one royal fan suggested possible reasons behind Meghan Markle’s podcast disaster, including the prospect of those ghosting her being jealous of her success, or the royal family’s malicious involvement in a bid to sabotage the duchess’ success. The Redditor wrote,
“But isn’t everything she does a success? Are these A-listers jealous of the glamorous duchess?” Did they want Harry for themselves? Has the [Royal Family] got to the potential guests because they are trying to stop her success?”
Despite the hint of sarcasm in the post, several users took to the platform to weigh in on these reasons, leading to heated debate about the 43-year-old’s capabilities. Many also shared other possible reasons they believed contributed to her podcast’s supposed “failure,” with one writing,
“She reduced these successful women to just their struggles and how they show up as a mother. What a wasted opportunity to share actual business advice. I’m not surprised people aren’t knocking at her door for the opportunity to compliment and fawn over Meghan.”
Another suggested that many of these celebrities simply shunned Meghan Markle’s podcast invite for fear of tarnishing their brand by associating with the highly villainized duchess. One Redditor wrote,
“One thing to bear in mind is that these were probably recorded months ago. That said, I doubt she got anyone ‘A’ list because associating with her would tarnish their brand.”
Another suggested,
“She’s a very poor interviewer, otherwise inviting women who have successful businesses (even if they are small businesses and the women are not household names) & letting them tell their stories would actually be very helpful to women who want to start their own business from scratch.”
Another netizen suggested,
“It’s because she just wants to talk about herself. She really should just front her own podcast, no guests, just her talking. It won’t get any more listeners, but at least Hollywood, and the CEOs and founders of successful businesses, can get on with their days with one less problem.”
Duchess’ Approach to Podcasting Called Into Question
Some users attribute this reluctance of other celebrities to participate in Markle’s show to their avoidance of meeting the same fate as Mindy Kaling. Notably, while guest-appearing on With Love, Meghan, Kaling made a comment referring to the duchess as Markle. However, the mom of three curtly corrected her, infamously interjecting, “I’m Sussex now,” seemingly embarrassing Kaling before the cameras and millions of potential viewers. More theories like Markle delving into the wrong project, venturing into an “oversaturated” podcast market, or running out of favors with Gwyneth Paltrow flooded the feeds.
With her initial plans for the show missing the mark by a margin, Meghan Markle seemingly resorted to hosting mostly friends on her podcast. The premiere episode of Confessions of a Female Founder saw the star rub minds with Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe. Next, she hosted Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani for the second installment, followed by the third and latest episode featuring her friend and hair colorist Kadi Lee, founder of Highbrow Hippie.
In each episode, Markle has strategically thrown in never-before-discussed revelations about her personal life, which eventually overshadows the entire show as the main crowd puller. Many have accused Markle of focusing more on herself than the theme of her podcast, and ultimately diverting attention from her guests and the body of knowledge they had to share, often reducing them to their roles as “moms” and victims.
