A Complete Breakdown of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Spotify Drama
Despite a $20 million deal and high ratings, the Sussexes' podcast partnership with Spotify has come to an end. Here's why.
The royal family isn't the only thing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have separated from. On June 15, 2023, it was announced that the Sussexes' would be ending their multimillion-dollar deal with Spotify. During the partnership, Markle served as the host for her podcast "Archetypes," where she spoke to close friends and activists to "spotlight diverse perspectives and voices" according to the website. Guests included Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton, Mindy Kaling, Issa Rae, and Ziwe, to name a few.
Even with the A-list guests, the high number of listeners, and the quality production, the partnership ultimately fell through earlier than many ever anticipated — henceforth leaving the bigger question: what happened? Ahead, L'OFFICIEL breaks down everything we know about Prince Harry and Markle's Spotify deal drama.
December 2020
After around a year since giving up their titles as active members of the royal family, Archewell Audio, the Sussexes' podcast production company, signed an exclusive $20 million deal with Spotify. The partnership came amidst Spotify's ongoing high investments in growing its podcasting segments. The details for the multiyear deal were not fully disclosed, though both Spotify and Archewell expressed their utmost joy for the partnership.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may live in California but the power of their voices rests in their status as citizens of the world,” Dawn Ostroff, Spotify’s chief content and advertising business officer, said in a statement in announcing the collaboration. "That they are embracing the extraordinary capacity of podcasts on Spotify while also seeking to elevate underrepresented voices is a testament to their appreciation for the potential of audio storytelling."
August 2022
A little less than two years after signing the deal, Markle released the first episode of her podcast "Archetypes." The ethos behind the podcast was to "investigate the labels that try to hold women back" and "uncover the origin of these stereotypes" by Markle having "uncensored conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape narratives," according to the press release.
For the first episode, Markle spoke with tennis star and longtime friend Serena Williams, as they spoke about ambition, perseverance, and motherhood.
"I don’t remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ambitious until I started dating my now husband," Markle told Williams. "And um, apparently ambition is, uh… a terrible, terrible thing, for a woman that is – according to some. So, since I’ve felt the negativity behind it, it’s really hard to un-feel it. I can’t unsee it, either, in the millions of girls and women who make themselves smaller – so much smaller – on a regular basis."
"Archetypes" immediately catapulted to Spotify stardom as it was the top podcast in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Australia once premiered.
June 2023
Despite its success, a year later, the Sussexes and Spotify reportedly went their separate ways, with "Archetypes" only having released 12 episodes within the year it was aired.
"Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together," a joint statement read. There has been no news on whether "Archetypes" will have a new home on another streaming service, or be shut down for good – though Markle and Prince Harry have hinted it may be for the former.
In an article by the Wall Street Journal, a representative for the Sussexes gave a statement saying, "The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform."
An allegedly large factor in the partnership collapse was the lack of new episodes over the period of time, not making enough content to receive the full $20 million payout. "Although 'Archetypes' did well and got a couple of awards, when you go into a deal like this, to have just one series over that course of time is not great," a source close to the Sussexes’ deal said, per Page Six. "To put that into context, the Obamas and their production company, Higher Ground, delivered multiple new series."
Not long after the announcement of the ended partnership, Markle was accused of faking podcast interviews, according to Podcast News, stating that "multiple sources [said] that some interviews on the show were done by other staffers, with her questions edited-in afterwards."
In August 2022, writer Allison Yarrow posted an Instagram excitedly announcing being featured on "Archetypes." What really caught people's attention was in her caption where she thanked producer Farah Saffari for being "an excellent interviewer." The claim has been since denied by Andy Cohen, who appeared as a guest on "Archetypes," calling the accusation "insane."
"Of course, I [spoke with Meghan], and she definitely [interviewed me]. That's an insane rumor,” he told Us Weekly. "Her podcast is conversations with people. How would she not have, of course she did."
Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of innovation and monetization, has been a huge critic of the couple, calling them “grifters” on his self-titled podcast: "I wish I had been involved in the Meghan-and-Harry-leave-Spotify negotiation,” Simmons said. "The F*cking Grifters. That's the podcast we should have launched with them."
The drama continued as The Mirror reported the Sussexes' filed trademark for the "Archetypes" title was denied due to the "likelihood of confusion" to a brand with the same name. The application aimed for the couple to have sole use of the name for "downloadable audio recordings and podcasts” and anything related to the "cultural treatment of women and stereotypes facing women." The decision has been since appealed and will have another application sent in the next three months.
In 2020, around the same time as the Spotify deal agreement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a $100 million 5-year deal with Netflix. The Spotify drama has left many wondering what this means for the Sussexes' future with Netflix. As of right now, Netflix will continue working with the pair, as they already have a few planned projects.
"We value our partnership with Archewell Productions,” Netflix told People. “Harry & Meghan was Netflix's biggest documentary debut ever, and we’ll continue to work together on a number of projects, including the upcoming documentary series Heart of Invictus."
