Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Will Forever Be Known as 'Grifters' After Being Slammed by Spotify Executive
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2023 was filled with a series of professional failures, and the ending of their Spotify deal resulted in the two being slammed by one of the company's executives Bill Simmons. Although the Sussexes' contract fell apart last June, the professional's public criticism of them left a stain on their image.
"I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. ‘The F------- Grifters.’ That’s the podcast we should have launched with them," Simmons said in an episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast."
The Sussexes signed a multi-year partnership with the streaming platform, but the pair only released 12 episodes of Meghan's "Archetypes" program.
"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 added. "It’s one of my best stories… F--- them. The grifters."
Royal commentator Tom Bower wasn't surprised by the duo's inability to maintain their Spotify connection.
"Of course, they’ve lost their big Spotify contract — one of the big contracts that was clearly going to be their basis for fame," Bower told an outlet. "The ‘grifters’ line has tarnished them for life."
OK! previously reported a source close to the Sussexes revealed they hoped 2024 "will be the year of redemption."
However, British socialite Lady Colin Campbell believes a new scandal will impact the couple's future.
"So I can guarantee that they’re going to get an awful lot worse," Campbell said on GB News. "Wait until spring, they have a real bomb coming their way in spring. I think they’re going to be completely exposed before this summer, let me put it that way."
The media personality wouldn't disclose what information she knew about the pair, but she warned viewers of the anticipated surprise.
"I think they are going to be in such deep trouble, it’s going to be nothing that we can imagine. I think the chickens are coming home to roost in a very big way," she continued. "I think they are going to be in such deep trouble, it’s going to be nothing that we can imagine. I think the chickens are coming home to roost in a very big way."
"Well, I’m afraid I can’t say beyond this," she said. "But believe me, I know what I’m talking about, and I know who’s going to drop the bomb."
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Toward the end of 2023, the Sussexes were labeled a "Hollywood Flop" by the Wall Street Journal and The Hollywood Reporter included them in their "biggest losers of 2023" list.
"In 2020, the royal duo fled a life of ceremonial public service to cash in their celebrity status in the States," The Hollywood Reporter wrote. "But after a whiny Netflix documentary, a whiny biography (Spare — even the title is a pouty gripe) and an inert podcast, the Harry and Meghan brand swelled into a sanctimonious bubble just begging to be popped — and South Park was the pin."
"The show’s 20-minute 'World-Wide Privacy Tour' takedown in March was savage, and was followed by Spotify dropping 'Archetypes,' with a top executive labeling the duo 'grifters,'" they penned.
Bower spoke to Closer.