I’m still reeling from the toxicity of the Sussex-Spotify breakup. It genuinely seems like Spotify leaked the split to the Wall Street Journal, forcing Archewell to rush out a confirmation of the end of the Sussexes’ contract, then Spotify’s executives ran a smear campaign on the Sussexes… all while saying nothing about their antivaxx golden goose, Joe Rogan, as Rogan made an ass out of himself within the very same newscycle. It was a lot. Now Us Weekly reports that the Sussexes are bothered by the “cheap shots” but they’ve got tons of other stuff in the pipeline.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ready to move forward after their Spotify deal fell through — but they aren’t too pleased with how news broke of their exit from the platform.
“Spotify was supposed to release a statement saying how great it was to work with Meghan, but they didn’t,” a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly, adding that the team behind the scenes “had been pushing Harry and Meghan for more content over the last year.”
According to the insider, the royal couple “weren’t delivering” on what Spotify needed before the deal came to an end earlier this month.
The Suits alum, 41, got word “a while ago” that her “Archetypes” podcast was being scrapped, a second source tells Us. (Spotify exec Bill Simmons later called out Meghan and Harry, 38, for being “f–king grifters” as the deal fell apart.)
“It seems to be one assault after another these days, with people lining up to take cheap shots at them,” the insider says. “Quite frankly, both she and Harry are sick and tired of it.”
Despite their deal ending in disappointment, the duo already have their sights set on a new chapter with “a ton of exciting things in the pipeline,” the second source adds. “[They’re] ready to come back stronger.”
Some of you have shared a theory that Spotify was actually trying to strike a new deal with the Sussexes, but Harry and Meghan wanted out, and they wanted to negotiate a new deal with Ari Emmanuel’s help. Some or all of that may be true – Spotify was definitely acting like your toxic ex who went around claiming that he dumped you. But I’m also sick of people lining up to take “cheap shots” at the Sussexes and I wish they would do more to combat this stuff. I get that they don’t want to answer every single unhinged story, but this was a different situation – Bill Simmons, a Spotify executive, was on the record calling them “f–king grifters.” They would have been well within their rights to clap back publicly and on the record.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Spotify.
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- Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM – Meghan Markle speaks at the One Young World 2022 Manchester Summit in the UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_2453366 – STRICTLY NO MAIL ON LINE USAGE Prince Harry and Megan Markle catch a train back to London and are all smiles after spending the day in Manchester at the One Young World Summit. Pictured: Megan Markle, Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: FARRELL / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending a lunch reception during the One Year to Go event, one year before Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, at the City Hall on the Market Square in Dusseldorf, Germany. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 6 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending a lunch reception during the One Year to Go event, one year before Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, at the City Hall on the Market Square in Dusseldorf, Germany. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 6 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending a lunch reception during the One Year to Go event, one year before Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, at the City Hall on the Market Square in Dusseldorf, Germany. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 6 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Düsseldorf, GERMANY – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending a lunch reception during the One Year to Go event, one year before Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, at the City Hall on the Market Square in Dusseldorf, Germany. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 6 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
There are definitely times when one should take the high road and not respond. Let the person or entity dig their own graves. Such will be the case with Simmons and that UTA guy. Just wait and watch.
I agree with this to a point. The problem is that people who were agnostic only heard the Simmons side with no response from H and M. They could have put out a Greta Thunberg style response and shut it down before it did damage to their brand.
The “when they go low, we go high” doesn’t always work.
How would they do that when they are not on twitter or social media. Taking the high road was best!
Bill Simmons has been a massive POS since forever. Spotify’s continued protection of Rogan and making Simmons an exec tells us all we need to know about them 😒
Given people like Brene Brown also ended her 2 Spotify podcasts, and was also concerned about the Joe Rogan influence at Spotify, I think there is more to it than meets the eye. That’s a lot of people departing Spotify podcasts over the past 6 months. Remember the whole list of quality podcasters who put things on hold about the time last year the Rlogan thing blew up.
And there are a lot of us deleting the Spotify app.
Me included. The only reason I opened a Spotify account was to listen to Archetypes. But I have to say the toxicity spewing from Simmons accelerated my decision to close my account.
As much as I wanted to listen to Archetypes, I refuse to go on Spotify so I haven’t heard it. Hopefully they will land somewhere and I can listen then.
Yep, deleted the app and permanently deactivated my account. F*** those f***ers.
IIRC there is a way to listen without signing up. I did not sign up and yet was able to hear them. They were all really good! Not surprised that she won awards.
I just uninstalled the app and closed my Spotify account. I had premium for a while too because of Archetypes and I used them for my alarm in the morning. Simmons really knows how to cut off his nose to spite his face. Who is going to sign with this guy? Nobody wants to sign on to a company with a bunny boiler exec.
Variety did the clap back for them. Variety is considered the Bible in the entertainment industry and all Simmons did was damage his and UTA’s reputations.
Those are the publications the deal makers read. Not Us Weekly.
I’m tired of the cheap shots too. It’s just exhausting and draining, and we’re not the ones that they are being dragged constantly.
I know they’re not going to answer every cheap shot, but I think sometimes a stronger response is warranted. Look at how the UTA story became VERY different once Variety put up that story about UTA trying to get Meghan as a client.
TBH I have given up on even reading the stories about the negative stories. It’s all horse manure. And not news. I only have so much online downtime so I read the positive (true) stories and ignore the faff.
Bill Simmons is a nobody to most of the people who consume Meghan’s content and he is not worth the Sussexes breaking their valued tradition of ignoring the noise. To me, the disloyalty of whoever published their brainstorming ideas is worse than Simmons’ asinine grifters comment. Brainstorming is supposed to be a safe place, but Spotify coming out and ridiculing Harry’s ideas is bad, bad, bad. Harry has got to be spitting mad at that disrespect, but how do you clap back about that? Just move on. Archetypes is bound to show up on another platform when it is ready to be announced.
@Harper:
“To me, the disloyalty of whoever published their brainstorming ideas is worse than Simmons’ asinine grifters comment. Brainstorming is supposed to be a safe place, but Spotify coming out and ridiculing Harry’s ideas is bad, bad, bad.”
Exactly this. So beyond unprofessional. And as I said in another post, I think it will have the effect of deterring other talent from even wanting to sign with Spotify in the first place. They might have gotten their “revenge” in the short term (one news cycle 🙄), but they shot themselves in the foot, imo, and did long-term damage to their brand’s reputation.
Oh I’m not even talking about Bill Simmons, not really. His behavior was unprofessional obviously. And I agree that whoever ran to the WSJ about Harry’s ideas was worse.
Its hard because they can’t respond to everything, right? There are SO many cheap shots aimed at them on a daily basis that responding to every one would just be…..not productive. But once in a while I think a strong response goes a long way.
I wonder if things would be different if they had their own social media, but it would probably be a lot worse. Every post would be analyzed and criticized and mocked in the british press.
It’s just disheartening to see so much hate aimed at a couple that is just trying to live their lives.
@Harper, @Lorelei – re: the loyalty issue, I said this yesterday; the people still at Spotify are the ones remaining after several rounds of cuts, and presumably the ones most likely to be okay with toeing the current party line. Like, Bill Simmons. Wouldn’t be surprised if the people Archewell worked with most closely are gone, and Archewell was already on the fence about continuing the contract. Reportedly Archetypes was made in association with Gimlet Media. Gimlet and Parcast were independents acquired by Spotify in the last several years, and both were unexpectedly gutted by Spotify in October of last year. 30% of staff were fired, including people working on already successful shows (hmm). Spotify instead created Spotify Studios, and other people left the company in subsequent firings. Spotify is not the same company, but it looks like they anticipated the Sussexes sticking around. Too bad, so sad.
I get that they don’t want to respond to every stupid comment but the grifter one needed pushback. A response that would be remembered instead of the initial insult. In the absence of a response the insult is what is what stays in people’s mind.
Meghan’s pod was #1 (beating even the awful Rogan) while it was on, and it won two awards as Best Podcast. Fortunately at least some of the media commentary has mentioned this. But barely. Apparently nobody wants to cross Rupert or Rothermere.
Murdoch has been buying up media companies for years, and people have been warning it would come to this. It’s kinda funny that Harry and Meghan are the ones to start the tide turning. That was not on my 21st century bingo card.
I’ve just stopped clicking on any of the negative stories, even here. (Stopped clicking on the sources ages ago.) Enough is enough! I appreciate the Squaddies who shine a light on who these “reporters” (well I guess they do report what they’re told) are and who is in bed with whom. It’s very telling.
I’m just hoping Harry et al prevail in court!
Great comment, Bee, and also a good observation on Murdoch.
I don’t think Spotify, or at least the main people in charge of the Spotify podcasts, cares about women’s lives and issues. It’s perfectly clear that though too many people listen to a problematic troglodyte like Joe Rogan, lots of people can’t stand JR and he’s still there and he’s being protected. The fact that these people couldn’t even say Meghan did well just says a lot, doesn’t it. Ugh!
Spot on Bee. I too have taken a zero tolerance outlook on the negative stuff. I just mass Block on Twitter, never click on any BM H&M content and scroll on past negative headlines on any platform. I think the RF & Murdoch et al have overplayed their hand tbh. People can clearly see what’s being done and are frankly bored with it now. I fully support and trust H&M’s choices and the authenticity of the H&M ‘brand’. If they can ignore 99.9% of the noise then so can I.
The person who made the grfter comment has a reputation for being an asshole and was fired from ESPN. People in the industry know this. Also, Spotify is losing money and it sounds like they are circling the drain. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are looking for a buyer. Harry and Meghan don’t need to engage with these folks, that only helps the TMZs and Us Weekly types of the world.
If this is true, then Meghan can scarcely be accused of not producing. “The Suits alum, 41, got word “a while ago” that her “Archetypes” podcast was being scrapped.”
I can only speculate @Athena, there very well could have been something in their contract that prevents them from speaking out against Spotify execs/whoever. Contractual law. Now, if that’s the case, I would love if H&M’s lawyers, could find a workaround. Sometimes patience is one’s best friend. (hard to practice in regular non famous person life too)
One of the only people I’ve seen in my life that’s taken/endured these hits & nasty missives is Angelina Jolie. For years. And she still carries on and lives a purpose filled life while raising her children (and protecting them from a$$holes) , having a career and doing good things.
Whilst, the ex, PittSh#t is spilling his falsities, to Murdoch’s Page Six.
So say we all.
Hello, good evening everyone my name is Esther and I am from Nigeria.
I have been a silent member of this forum for some years now and I absolutely love what you people are doing to fight back against those who are trying to harm prince harry and Meghan.
God bless you guys abundantly.
As to regard to the topic,I love this new approach of how they are handling these issues because always coming out to defend themselves will open more doors for other derengers to attack them .
I love the silent treatment they gave that woman wrapper Simmon and that ode uta CEO.
Because they are fools silent is the best treatment that fit them best.
❤️
I get the frustration over the Spotify stuff, but I strongly suspect H&M and Ari have long term plans they are sticking to. Responding to these assholes just extends the news cycle.
These are smart people with a lot of experience and they can be patient – revenge is a dish best served cold remember!
Your comment is on point. 👍
No need to bring along trash when moving forward to a new home. By staying quiet about that guy and others, the Sussexes are not associating their voice with those toxic people. They have moved on from Spotify and both them and Spotify issued their statements about the decision to end their deal. Their deal was with Spotify, not with any of the individuals that took cheap shots.
All of this, UnstrungPearl and MSTJ! It’s annoying to have to wait in real time for it to pass, but H&M clearly have the long view in mind here.
@thatsnotokay I would have to disagree- from what’s going on out there, it’s the shittiest of shit people who continue to get away with their actions and no one calls them out for it.
Accountability does not exist in their world.
I’m also getting really sick of this constant jabbing on the Sussexes. One day, their kids will grow up and will see all this BS being thrown to their parents. No one even thinks about that. Everyone just jumps on the bandwagon and for what?
For what? For the cash, the publicity, and being known for siding with Murdoch.
I’m just not sure I buy any of this sourcing from US weekly. It sounds like staffers wrote it and made up source quotes. I’m not convinced that Spotify scrapped Archetypes. Why would they? It received awards and got Spotify positive coverage. And I don’t know if I’m convinced Harry and Meghan need to clap back. Their future projects will be the clap back.
Yeah this is made up from magazine staff “sources.” There’s no way the Sussexes talked to US Weekly.
They have been very explicit that anything they do say will come from them, no ‘sources’. I call BS.
@abby, yep, knowing Harry and Megan, I expect that they are thinking “let the trash take itself out”, and looking at the people leaving sportfrying, I think that’s just what is happening
Oh I don’t think they have any sources running to Us Weekly. But I don’t think the idea that they are sick and tired of this is wrong either. We saw in the docuseries how much the constant negative stories wore on both Harry and Meghan. We can say they just ignore it and move forward, but I’m sure some of these things sting more than others.
Oh yeah I don’t disagree that the Sussexes aren’t sick of this. Just that us weekly made an obvious conclusion and had another reporter say this obvious conclusion and that became the source. Anyone would be sick of it. It’s so unprofessional. I get why people would want them to but I’m still okay with them choosing not to respond. I have no pr savvy though.
The cheap shots keep coming because cheap shot artists know they can get away with it. As I said last week, this is the kind of drip, drip, drip which can do real reputation damage if not countered firmly. They need some dobermans on their comms team or they will become targets here in the States as they already are in GB.
It seemed like the constant attacks had slowed down for a while after the WME announcement was made, but then a couple of weeks ago, it’s as if it gained steam again and has been just *relentless* ever since.
I know a lot of us assumed it was retaliation for the court cases, but one poster here brought up the possibility that this new smear campaign was right in time for Emmy voting, and I can see that as a possible motive for the timing, too…to try and prevent them from winning an Emmy for their docuseries by having all of this vitriol out there just as people are casting their ballots. Or it could be a bit or both— killing two birds with one stone.
In any case, it’s abusive and disgusting and even though this is the least of it, I hope they do win an Emmy, just to shut some of these people up. As a fan, it’s exhausting to wake up every day and read some cruel new attack aimed at them by…someone, over something.
I totally disagree with this premise. What feeds a gossip cycle to me is responding to it. The Sussexes are in an excellent position with the best of the best working with them. To me to respond in kind keeps the drama going. This couple has nothing to prove and I applaud the restraint as they move forth. When someone as vile as the Simmons and Zimmerman’s rear their heads it speaks to me of the bitterness they have and is more reflective on them. The ball is firmly in the Sussexes court and I am pretty sure they are busily working on projects verses reading and responding to negative noise. Industry insiders I am sure are watching this drama play out as well and the Sussexes are taking the jig rode verses engaging in mud slinging.
The success of these attacks is undeniable. I have friends and acquaintances who randomly have strong negative feelings about the Sussexes, without ever actively reading about them. This shit just permeates the zone.
VivaLasVirgos, unfortunately, you’ll have people who will believe anything. Look at the MAGA crowd. There’s nothing you can do about them–even if there was no negative media at this point, they will still have the same opinion.
I think the problem for Murdoch, et al., is that Harry and Meghan and Spare were game changers. They put an entirely different truth straight from H&M. Now we are being shown that Murdoch, et al., are trying to take back the narrative. IMO, they have a VERY short window to do this. H&M are working on other projects which we will hear about. Heart of Invictus and the IG are coming soon. I think the more H&M do, the harder it will be for the billionaire owned media to counter. Add in the lawsuits, and they know they don’t have much time–desperation is almost at panic mode.
The total silence from Spotify top management even after their own executive badmouthed the Sussexes is truly shocking.
@ Noor, I know. Why is Spotify allowing this piece of dung to verbally attack and maliciously align Harry and Meghan? Do the higher ups simply turn a blind eye and let this POS piss all over the place without any consequences?
Spotify had better muzzle this POS as he turns Spotify into a heap of an atmosphere of an unwelcoming platform.
I am from the school of thought that silence is always the best revenge. Any executive toxic enough to make this statement publicly is just looking for a back and forth. Applaud the Sussexes from rising above the drama. Not sure US weekly is a credible source to be sourcing, as the Sussexes mentioned in their exit statement, their representatives will speak for them, not sources. Also, this brouhaha is between Ari Emanuel and this Zimmerman fellow. He is bitter because they chose to walk away. For me it is not about responding to every utterance but how you rise above it while others get low down dirty with mud slinging. When you have nothing to prove and your work speaks for itself, this is the model I would choose for myself as the Sussexes have for themselves. All the other noise just feeds the gossip cycles and nothing more.
They’re letting the haters dig their own graves. Once they make their next moves, the critics will be left with egg on their faces.
Spotify keeps that awful Joe Rogan employed.
And that Exec who called H&M f’ing grifters, how unprofessional can ya be?
Spotify comes off looking pretty bad. And I think we are all tired of how H&M are treated, cheap shots, out right lies.
More bullshit from Us Weekly. All this does is rehash what’s already been said and doesn’t add anything new. And the Sussexes are not going to get into a public dispute with Spotify when they are trying to negotiate deals with others. The best response to Spotify is a brand new deal.
I think what happened here is that there was no clear idea communicated from the Archewell side or Spotify side of what they actually thought Archewell would be producing when they signed this deal. Remember how when the Sussexes’ Netflix deal was announced it was confirmed that there were plans in the pipeline around shows around veterans(which turned about to be Heart of Invictus) , inspiring women(Pearl), wildlife(tbd), etc? There were also stories about them pitching those ideas to other streamers like Apple TV+ but did we ever hear the same with Spotify? I don’t remember hearing anything about what they’d actually be producing when the Spotify deal came to light and i think that was the biggest problem. Further evidence for this theory is that when Archewell’s first head of audio, Rebecca, said when she was taking the job that there were no specific projects already planned. and while she’s a talented producer she’s never had to manage a whole Audio division and development pipeline before which is probably why Archewell brought in someone new with more experience a few months back.
It really reads like Spotify just went on a buying spree of celebs without thinking through or communicating expectations on content and then repeatedly rejected ideas that didnt match what they’d wanted but never actually communicated at signing (which was also reported as a point of contention with the Obamas). I think Spotify wanted H&M to do podcasts where they talked about the royal family and themselves while H&M wanted to focus on issue they cared about and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some bitterness on Spotify’s part seeing the records that Harry and Meghan on Netflix and Spare broke and now they’re even more pressed because Meghan owns Archetypes, Archewell’s audio division staffing is more solid, and she has WME to help her get better deals elsewhere. There were definitely a lot of mistakes on both sides but Spotify needs to just let it go; they weren’t the right fit LET IT GO.
This is total speculation on my part, but having listened to a bunch of the other podcasts under the umbrella of Bill Simmons’s Ringer for years (not a sports fan so I don’t listen to his titular show, but I do listen to ones like “The Rewatchables,” about movies, and “Jam Session,” which is purely celebrity gossip), I think Spotify expected to get from H&M what Oprah and Netflix got instead: H&M basically just talking about their own lives and experiences, in a conversational format.
There might have been some loosely underlying theme, like “The Sussexes discuss this week in pop culture!” or something like that, but essentially it would have been the two of them just shooting the sh!t into microphones, maybe with guests from time to time, and churning out a show a week or something along those lines. Very casual. Spotify likely assumed (correctly, imo) that people would tune in just because of the enormous interest in H&M as people and in anything they had to say, even if it was just mundane things like what books they were currently reading, shows they were watching, movies they were looking forward to, etc. (I would love a show like that from the Sussexes, tbh!)
That seems to be the way a lot of Simmons’s successful shows operate. “The Watch” is nominally about tv shows, but is very much structured around the personalities and opinions of the hosts; same with movies on “The Big Picture” (I actually had to stop listening to that one a while ago because I found one of the hosts, Sean Fennessy, to be insufferably smug and pretentious).
The shows have designated topics, but are very much personality-driven and people tend to listen because they enjoy the hosts. Many of the current staffers followed Bill to The Ringer when he was fired from ESPN, are very loyal to him, and he seems to have rewarded them by giving them a ton of leeway to write articles and/or host pods according to their personal interests. And I think The Ringer’s shows are all also extremely cheap to produce.
What they did *not* expect, imo, was that the Sussexes would be done talking about the BRF, and want to produce high-quality shows about important subjects. Which would take time, money, staff, resources, more time, etc. As everyone here has already said, the contract seems to have been signed hastily without clear expectations from Spotify or clear deliverables for the Sussexes. If I had to guess, I’d guess that Spotify assumed that H&M were so desperate at the time that they’d do the type of show Spotify wanted simply because they needed the money (and it’s fairly easy, compared to what Meghan actually ended up doing with Archetypes). Ooops! Spotify’s certainly paying for their miscalculation.
(All of that said, Bill Simmons and his Ringer shows are just one small part of Spotify, and idk how much involvement or input he even had when the Sussexes were signed. I only listen to shows on Apple podcasts, and have never paid extra for any of the “premium” Spotify shows, so I’m sure there’s a ton of other stuff on there that I have no idea about. However, judging from the fact that they platform — and throw money at — Rogan, it seems I’m probably better off that way.)
@Chelsea, in any case ITA with you that Spotify needs to let it go, because they’re embarrassing themselves. And, I would think, driving other talent away from wanting to work with them, since people now know they’ll be publicly trashed by the company if they part ways.
That kind of stuff is way beneath them and not worth their time. And they never go into anything unprepared. Can you imagine? They do thoughtful, meaningful things and get savaged. (They breathe in and out and get savaged, for that matter.) So they have to hold themselves to the highest standard – which they would do anyway. They were never going to do a chatty weekly. That’s like Andy Cohen stuff.
who’s doing their PR? i know they cant respond to everything…but their PR is so passive these days. and just odd. the whole chase in manhattan story was badly handled with their PR. feels like this would be a great time to announce some projects or things in the pipeline to squash the “grifters” and “inexperienced” narratives…but nothing except this “we are tired of cheap shots”.
the narrative now is Harry is just spitefully fighting everyone in court, and they’re untalented and can’t deliver on their Hollywood dreams. ugh…i wish their PR would come out to squash all of this bs with official statements and facts.
Who believes that narrative other than haters and concern trolls? Those folks are unwinnable anyway because they have their own agenda. A lot of Squaddies were upset with Michelle Obama when she said the Sussexes should keep their heads down, shut out the noise and focus on their work. But I think that was the best advice she could have given them. The Sussexes have nothing to gain by getting into a pissing contest with people like Simmons and companies like Spotify. If those people were really about something, they wouldn’t have acted like this.
a LOT of people believe this, that’s the issue. It’s not just people who are outright haters and concern trolls. A lot of people just see the headlines and go from there and form their opinions accordingly. And because there are always headlines about H&M, its really easy for people to form their opinions. There are a lot of people who don’t follow the royals and just see things like “H&M are grifters” and they think “well that fits” because they’ve seen the other 5 headlines about Spotify in the last two days etc.
I don’t think the hate is greater than the love, to be sure. And I think in the US at least people do push back on the headlines more than in the UK. but I think its over simplifying the situation to say that its “just” the haters who believe these stories.
@Becks1 and a lot of people also believe the media is trash. I think they are right to think that. Fox News has a big reach but not everyone believes they are truthful. The Sussexes have a ton of supporters outside of the Murdoch media. If that were not true, there would not be this much effort being put into trying to discredit them. As for the Guardian, isn’t the new editor from the Daily Mail? So its certainly a rogues gallery.
Ohhhh, so disappointing that the Guardian would hire someone from the Fail! But that explains the ridic anti Sussex headlines I’ve seen there recently. (Which I have not been clicking, but I still go there for news, unlike the WSJ and other Murdoch press.) Good to know. Just the other day they were beating the drum.
@Hangonamin, yeah, I thought things would get better as soon as Meghan signed with WME, but not so much.
And I agree with you on this:
“…the narrative now is Harry is just spitefully fighting everyone in court, and they’re untalented and can’t deliver on their Hollywood dreams.”
@Msiam, this is obviously anecdotal, but unfortunately almost everyone I know who was a royal-watcher pre-Meghan has grown to despise the Sussexes. These are people who don’t follow them nearly as closely as I do, so I’ve tried my best to explain to them the “real” story, but finally gave up. The constant stream of attacks have worked on lots of people who are casual royal-watchers who pretty much just read headlines, aren’t on Twitter, don’t read this site, etc. It’s really sad since our love of the royals used to be something I’d bond with them over, but only one of my friends adores Meghan, and the rest of them have bought into the idiotic, untrue narrative the BM pushed.
These aren’t stupid people, none racist, they’re all extremely liberal…I have *no idea* why they can’t see the British tabloid BS for what it is. But in my (limited) experience, the smear campaign has definitely worked on people who I would have expected so much better from. It has been surprising and disheartening to watch.
Again, that’s your circle of influence. Most people I know hate the Kardashians and Taylor Swift so does that mean they are not popular in the broader sphere? And I wonder why “liberal people” would think less of folks who are being trashed and victimized rather than think negatively about the perpetrators? What does that say about them? Meghan is so unpopular but the media would rather put a picture of her walking down a street than a picture of the king and his golden carriage on the front page. The media knows what sells.
I agree. Also, I think the negative narrative is now going beyond the “usual suspects” (i.e., Daily Mail & Co). There were two quite nasty articles in the Guardian (which is not a tabloid), two days in a row – “Meghan labeled untalented as fallout from collapse of Spotify deal rumbles on”, and an especially vicious and mean-spirited one, “Terrible ideas, tedious shows, zero talent: Meghan and Harry’s trainwreck podcast career”. There’s more behind, we know that – Spotify is pivoting away from celebrity-hosted podcasts (primarily due to costs), somehow that’s not part of the conversation. I don’t think they need to respond to every harsh word about them – but one good way to not just stand there and take it on the chin I think would be to make an announcement about their foundation or a project. Keep it classy, don’t engage when it’s not needed, make your own agenda, occupy the space with your announcement.
I rather expect them to announce that they’ve signed with someone else. I don’t think it will take long. Once that drops, that will negate the Spotify crap. If they were so bad, why would anyone else sign them? If they’re so bad, why did Meghan’s podcast get awards?
I think if people are really going to CHANGE their opinions of H&M over this, they probably were already leaning toward negativity when it comes to H&M. I don’t think there’s anything to be that concerned about. I’ve decided to enjoy the show. When announcements start dropping from Archewell about a finished projects, or who they’re signing with, these tabloids and Murdoch sycophants are going to look like the disinformation strategists that they are. Let them show themselves for who and what they are.
i think everyone brings up very great points here. @MsIam brings up the point that there will be people that just hate them no matter what and responding to every comment isn’t gonna get them anywhere other than just further in the news cycle. That’s definitely true. But I do think there’s something to be said about using PR to change the overarching narrative or correct public misconceptions. The point I’m making is I would like the Sussex PR to be more proactive to put out more projects, collaborations, work in progress in the news cycle; i don’t think they need to point by point address the negative toxic press headlines, but having consistent updates on their leadership, philanthropy and upcoming projects can only bolster a positive narrative to the general public and paint the pair as natural leaders, philanthropists and doing much more than the fuddly duds in the monarchy. So far things have been reactionary in their PR to negative press and i’ve noticed even American media have even taken a negative lean (NYT, WSJ, etc) towards their reporting of some headlines…which is so sad.
More “sources.” Didn’t Harry and Meghan already state that “sources” wouldn’t speak for them anymore?
The press *wants* Harry and Meghan to be distraught over the continued abuse and character assassinations. The question is, are Harry and Meghan actually bothered? I personally don’t think so. There is such a constant drip of negative press about them that it is just noise atp. Ask me what the press said about Harry and Meghan a month ago? Two years ago? It’s already forgotten and dismissed as unimportant. Sussex ‘bad press’ fatigue is setting in big time and the press is solely to blame. They flew too close to the sun.
The press is attempting to keep their rabid, racist fan base engaged but Harry and Meghan are giving them nothing to work with. So here comes this latest where the press is attempting to assure their racist base that H&M actually give AF about the buffoonary of the press and their racist readers. It’s all so pathetic and just another cycle of made-up BS that will soon be forgotten.
This is my take on it. We already know the problems with Spotify. We also have heard an account from another that also had to deal with them talk about how absolutely difficult it was to communicate with them. We also know now how unprofessional and crazy the executive of Spotifiy is and they allowed him to do that! I cannot possibly imagine what the other people are like to deal with… I think Harry & Meghan were not satisfied and I think they went to Ari to fix the problem. I am glad they are gone from there. I deleted my Spotify app. What kind of company goes to national news and not only leaks information but also trashes their client publically???? They literally act like jilted lovers when it comes to H&M. It’s absolutely crazy lol.
I deleted the app too when I saw no pushback from Spotify after their exec went off on M&H. Very bad corporate practices to have a top employee go off rails like that with no consequences. Says a lot about the culture at Spotify.
I take a pot shot at ole Billy boy Simmons on Twitter every now and then because I find him so vile and ignorant. He has always been a whiny b*ch who has managed to fail upwards. I’m so glad that Harry did whatever he did to piss him off, cause Simmons is a low key RACIST.
This is not a quote from H&M, this a take by a random unnamed “source.”
H&M should absolutely focus on monetizing all the free press that they are given as a byproduct of the press’ hate campaign against them. They will never stop losers like the Spotify guy or the UTA dude from taking cheap shots so why waste the time and effort.
The press has already tarnished H&M’s reputation with their lies and misrepresentions. So at this point H&M gain nothing by engaging.
I’ll believe Us Weekly has Sussex sources as soon as that documentary about all of Kate’s “charity work” (Us Weekly claimed Meghan wanted to make a while back) comes out.
That is still one of the funniest stories ever.
@AGreatReckoning: shut UP! How did I miss this?? They actually claimed that Meghan wanted to make a documentary about Kate’s charity work? LMFAOOOOO
That’s truly fantastic. Comedy gold.
Lorelei, you didn’t miss it! You just probably have more going on that you had the ability to forget such nonsense. You’re suggestion in that thread from Aug. 2021 was a good one. A follow up of stories from the 40 x 40 initiative. It’s clear now that Spotify wouldn’t be interested. It’s not about man bros.
It’s a good thread to revisit. Knowing everything we know now about the chaos going on between Spotify & Gimlet/Gimlet employees and other podcasters. Even with different production schedules with Netflix-the expectations for the Sussexes back then is quite laughable.imo Enjoy revisiting. lol-this was my first comment (I believe from that post)
“This story is just so ludicrous. I would believe Jose Canseco & ARod have made up and are going to announce they’re engagement before I’d believe this.”.
ugh.I did mean their and not they’re. grrr
https://www.celebitchy.com/728247/duchess_meghan_wants_to_make_a_documentary_about_kates_charity_work_lol/
I’m tired too but those who are desperate for attention will continue to do it.
As long as she draws breath, the bitter British press will vilify and harass Princess Henry of Sussex. The crux of the matter is a white Prince married a biracial American of Black heritage, made a family with her, and move his family to America out of harm’s way. This is impossible for the bigots and sycophants to accept.
So many Brits (along with many other white folks around the world) simply don’t want a Black woman to have any nice things, a loving family, or any station in life. They will never forgive Meghan for being “uppity” and “rising above her class”.
The Sussexes will answer with the continued high quality of their work. They are just not as petty as I am.
When other people go low, I always want to go low in return. The Sussexes, like Michelle Obama, are better than I am.
Surprised they didn’t have a non-disparagement clause as part of their contract. Bill Simmons would have clearly broken that.
I broke up with greedy Spotify permanently after Neil Young’s statement about how they pay artists. He took his catalogue away from Spotify and so did Joni Mitchell.
“Unnamed sources” who say they know what the Sussex’s are thinking and feeling have no credibility. It’s just tabloid fodder
And all this bashing of H& M by those people leads back to Murdoch.He’s making it personal,which leads to the RF.The nastiness is really some of the worst I’ve seen,since President Obama was elected.
Sometimes there’s a point in time that you can only fight so much of your battles and pick which one is really worth fighting back. Spotify are just sore losers as HM most likely felt they don’t see a fit with that platform. And I’m not worried as HM are being represented by WME, which I’m looking forward to their new projects from that – as a response to all these undermining campaigns. Pretty much Staying quiet on your plans and bringing on big and exciting surprises once confirmed.
They are 100 percent correct.
They might be but I doubt this report came from any of their team. They do not speak anonymously.