Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's transition from royal life to Hollywood hasn't gone smoothly in the four years since their split from the monarchy, with fresh jabs at the Golden Globes rounding off a particularly turbulent 12-month period.
The duke and duchess signed multi-million-dollar content creation deals with streaming giants Netflix and Spotify in 2020, after breaking away from the royal family and moving to California.
While the couple's road to releasing content through these deals was by no means smooth, 2023 saw a significant change in the way their Hollywood peers treated them. They became the subject of numerous late night jokes, TV show skits and acerbic comedy takedowns.
The main catalyst for this change was the publication of Harry's memoir, Spare, last January, which included anecdotes ripe for spoofing, including information about an experience with frostbite on his penis back in 2011, and how he used Princess Diana's lip cream as a home remedy.
The book's criticisms of the U.K. media and royal family members, hot on the heels of Harry and Meghan's eponymous six-part Netflix docuseries, caused their popularity on either side of the Atlantic to plummet, only slowly moving towards a more positive direction over the following months.
As well as becoming the butt of several jokes, including an entire satirical episode of adult animated comedy South Park, and a cutaway sketch in Family Guy, the couple also failed to secure prestigious industry awards nods.
The Harry & Meghan series missed out on a Primetime Emmy nomination and Harry's 15-hour self-narrated audiobook version of Spare was snubbed for a highly anticipated Grammy. In the same year, they also split from podcast partner Spotify.
Fresh off of these disappointments, Meghan appeared on the red carpet in November enthused about a number of "exciting" projects the couple had lined up on the production slate of their Archewell Productions company.
Hopes the couple may have had about turning over a new leaf in 2024, however, may have stumbled after they found themselves the target of two bold jokes during the 81st Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood on Sunday night.
The January 7 ceremony was attended by the industry's most important players, including the Sussexes' Netflix boss, Ted Sarandos, pal Oprah Winfrey and A-list stars such as Meryl Streep, Margot Robbie, Emma Stone and Taylor Swift.
During his opening monologue, comedian Jo Koy took aim at Harry and the royal family, likening them to the HBO drama Succession, describing them as a "rich, white dysfunctional family" who were "all scheming."
He went on to praise actress Imelda Staunton's performance as Queen Elizabeth II in the royal drama series, The Crown.
"Her portrayal of the queen was so good, Prince Harry called her and asked her for money," Koy said, which was met with laughter from the celebrity packed audience.
He went on to target both the prince and his wife. "It turns out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still get paid millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing," he joked, "and that's just by Netflix."
The coverage of the event then cut camera angles to show Netflix CEO Sarandos, who laughed off the joke, shaking his head from side to side.
While these jokes may not prove damaging to the duke and duchess, who were not present at the awards, it comes as the latest in a long line of reputational knocks.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek the couple appear to be at a career impasse.
"Several members of the cast of Suits reunited at the Golden Globes to present the cast of Succession with the Best Drama Series Award, Meghan was not among them, yet the Sussexes were the butt of more jokes," he said of the latest development.
"This began with South Park's 'Worldwide Privacy Tour' in February, which satirized their hypocritical obsession with privacy. Last year, their [popularity] ratings collapsed in the United States.
"Host of the Globes, Jo Koy, quipped last night that they had been paid millions 'for doing absolutely nothing- and that's just by Netflix!' If they don't want to be recognized as 'losers,' which is the recent view of the Hollywood Reporter, it's surely time the Sussexes actually did something other than continue Harry's charitable activities which he launched prior to his marriage."
So far, the couple have released three docuseries for Netflix: Harry & Meghan (2022); Live to Lead (2022); and Heart of Invictus (2023).
Meghan also released a full podcast series with Spotify (Archetypes, 2022) before their partnership ended.
On what the future holds for the couple in Hollywood, Meghan has revealed that they have a number of projects on the horizon.
"We have so many exciting things on the slate," she said on the Variety Women of Power Gala red carpet. "I can't wait until we can announce them, but I'm just really proud of what we're creating and my husband is loving it too."
Newsweek approached representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith 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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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
