Meghan Markle did not conduct all the interviews on her hugely popular Spotify podcast, according to an editor who also denied allegations that her questions were edited-in afterwards.
The Duchess of Sussex's Archetypes podcast won awards and sailed to the top of the Spotify charts after early episodes.
However, Meghan and Harry's deal with the streaming giant ultimately collapsed before the prince managed to make a show and Bill Simmons, the company's head of podcast innovation and monetization, branded the couple "f****** grifters."
Now Podnews has alleged that Meghan did not do all the interviews herself, with some conducted by producers.
The website's article claimed that some interviews on the show were done by other members of staff, and that her questions were edited-in afterwards, though the account of edited questions has been denied.
Andy Scott, a former editor at Gimlet Media, which produced Archetypes, wrote on Twitter: "We did occasionally have producers do interviews, though never the main ones, and we never edited her asking questions into interviews that producers conducted."
We did occasionally have producers do interviews, though never the main ones, and we never edited her asking questions into interviews that producers conducted.
— Andy Scott (@AndyBScott) June 19, 2023
Many of the biggest interviews showed signs of obvious interaction between the guests and Meghan—some being with personal friends of hers.
Meghan's most high-profile interview was with her friend Serena Williams. The tennis star wrote on Instagram afterwards: "I loved talking about so many important topics with my dear friend Meghan as her first guest on #archetypes for @spotify! It's out now and worth the listen, especially if you're ambitious."
Actor Jameela Jamil, star of The Good Place, also told Meghan on Archetypes: "It's an unfathomable amount of s*** that you take, Meghan. I can't believe it.
"And I fought back on your behalf for years before I'd ever met you because I was so outraged by the twisting of this, very normal, very kind, very civilized woman. That demonization just shows how afraid they are of you."
A number of other celebrity guests also expressed their excitement at talking to the duchess, though Scott's account may have been a reference to contributions from less famous experts that were included alongside the main interviews.
Either way, a new storm over the production of the show will not help Meghan cope with the deal falling apart.
Serious questions have been asked about whether Spotify got value for money from the deal, with Will Page, former chief economist at Spotify, telling Radio 4, in Britain, the couple earned more than the platforms most listened-to song.
He told The World Tonight: "I don't know the figures in terms of audience, but I did a quick bit of maths before coming on your show.
"The reported £18m that they walked out with meant that Harry and Meghan earned more than "Blinding Lights" which was by the fantastic Canadian band The Weeknd and is the most streamed song ever on Spotify, which is not bad for 12 weeks work."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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