Meghan Markle's American Riviera Orchard jam has become one of Hollywood's most coveted products, with a range of high-profile celebrities coming forward on social media to proudly show they made the cut as one of an exclusive 50 to receive a jar.
The latest of these to come forward, Chrissy Teigen, may surprise some pop-culture fans as she became embroiled in a controversy in 2021 over historic social media posts which saw her accused of spreading online hate, something Meghan has been a passionate advocate against.
Newsweek approached representatives of Meghan Markle and Chrissy Teigen via email for comment.
Teigen took to Instagram on April 24 to post an edited video showcasing the jam which is branded with Meghan's lifestyle venture's name and logo: American Riviera Orchard.
The business was soft-launched back in March with a new website and social media page, however no details about its plans, public offering or products have been released. What little is known about the brand has been disclosed through trademark applications.
In her post, Teigen showed herself making a special grilled cheese sandwich with her daughter, Luna, which featured the royal strawberry jam, bacon and soft cheese.
The clip was soundtracked with the 1977 song "Jamming" by Bob Marley and the Wailers and captioned: "We jammin!! This might have been one of the best bites we've had all year—all we used is some rustic bread, salted butter, triple cream Brie, thick cut bacon and some @americanrivieraorchard jam! took about 8 mins total and made us happy for the entire weekend."
Former model Teigen has faced a number of controversies over the course of her life in the public eye, alongside husband and singer John Legend.
In 2021, Teigen faced a wave of backlash when TV personality Courtney Stodden accused her of cyberbullying over tweets sent in the early 2010s.
After the tweets resurfaced, Teigen later apologized, saying she felt "lucky enough to be held accountable" for her past actions. This has not protected the star from criticism which has continued in the years since.
Teigen has rarely spoken about her friendship with Meghan, but in a 2021 TV interview, revealed that it started after the duchess reached out to her following the star's miscarriage a year earlier. Both Meghan and Teigen experienced miscarriages in 2020, with Meghan opening up about her experience in an article she wrote for The New York Times.
Speaking about Meghan with Andy Cohen on a 2021 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Teigen said: "She's been so kind to me ever since we connected. She had written me about baby Jack and loss. She is really wonderful, and so kind and just as kind as everyone says she is. That's why you look at everything and you're like 'My god, what is absolutely wrong with people that they have to make this person out to be so malicious or so crazy?' when it's just as simple as them being as kind as everybody says they are."
In 2024, Teigen launched her new TV show with Dave Chang and Joel Kim Booster titled, Chrissy and Dave Dine Out.
Other recipients of Meghan's American Riviera Orchard jam to post about it online include Kris Jenner, Mindy Kaling, Tracee Ellis Ross and Abigail Spencer.
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 Markle 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.
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James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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