A couple of days ago, we learned that the Duchess of Sussex is taking a job co-hosting Junior MasterChef Australia. You could hear the sigh of relief from the Australian and British media – finally, they no longer have to pretend to have sympathy for Meghan, and they could go back to their regularly scheduled hate campaign. How dare Meghan go on TV! How dare she go to Australia! Who does she think she is? Et cetera. The Daily Mail gleefully got the hate party started, helped along by some particularly shady and unnecessary comments by an Aussie politician AND MasterChef’s executive producer.

MasterChef Australia surprised fans in April when none other than Meghan Markle made a shock appearance on the cooking reality show. And MasterChef’s executive producer Marty Benson has now revealed exactly how the Duchess of Sussex ended up on the franchise, admitting it was an audacious email that helped convince the high-profile royal to take part.

Speaking to The Age, Benson explained that he was willing to take a chance on Meghan at a time when she was facing intense public criticism for her cancelled Netflix show With Love, Meghan.

‘Everyone was putting her down, the whole world was putting her down, and I was the guy that went, “Wait a minute, I think she would be a great guest on our show”,’ he told the publication at the recent TV Week Logie Awards. Benson’s gamble, which he described as a ‘press send and pray’ email, paid off, with Meghan’s appearance generating significant attention for the cooking franchise.

‘I felt for her because everyone was so hard on her show [With Love, Meghan], and I actually blame the producers of her show… that’s the reason why her show wasn’t very good, not her,’ he added.

Now, Meghan is preparing to return Down Under to film Junior MasterChef Australia next year, with sources claiming she will play a key hosting role alongside MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow. The duchess is expected to spend weeks in Melbourne filming the series and may be joined by Prince Harry and their two children.

However, Meghan’s return to Australian screens comes amid debate over who should pay for her security during the visit. Both major political parties in Victoria have ruled out using taxpayers’ money to fund personal protection for the duchess during her upcoming visit. The Victorian Labor government has confirmed it will not foot the bill if it is re-elected in November, while Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has issued an equally blunt pledge.

‘Not a single cent of Victorian taxpayer money should be spent on this,’ Ms Wilson told the Herald Sun. ‘And under a Liberal and Nationals government I lead, it wouldn’t be.’

The dispute has revived questions raised during the Sussexes’ visit earlier this year, when concerns emerged about the potential use of Victoria Police resources to protect the couple.

The couple’s April trip included a series of public appearances that attracted crowds and prompted discussion about the distinction between taxpayer-funded personal security and police resources required to maintain public safety.

[From The Daily Mail]

The MasterChef EP’s comments are inappropriate and gross, I don’t even know what to say. With Love, Meghan wasn’t a bad show and it wasn’t “canceled” – it was pretty clear that Meghan simply didn’t want to keep doing the show, especially because As Ever is already such a successful start-up. The whole world wasn’t mocking WLM, that was just the British press and I guess the Aussie media too. What an inappropriate way to talk about Meghan and her work.

As for the security… these people need to stop politicizing every single f–king thing about the Sussexes. In Nottingham a few weeks ago, there were police around the Sussexes… because of crowd control, and because security is about ensuring everyone’s safety. Same with Australia earlier this year – there was police presence at a few events because Harry and Meghan were out in public and there were crowds.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images. Screencaps courtesy of 10 News Sydney.