Andy Cohen defends Meghan Markle amid claims she didn’t conduct podcast interviews

Andy Cohen has defended Meghan Markle against claims that she didn’t conduct her own interviews for her Archetypes podcast, after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ended their deal with Spotfy.

The 55-year-old TV host addressed the rumours swirling about Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, during a recent interview with Us Weekly. While Cohen didn’t mention the publication by name, he seemingly addressed how PodNews claimed that some of Meghan’s interviews for Archetypes were done by her co-workers, with the duchess’ voice being edited into the episode later.

Speaking to US Weekly, Cohen confirmed that these claims were false, noting that Meghan “of course” does her own interviews. He also said that when he appeared on Archetypes in November 2022, Meghan interviewed him for it.

“That’s an insane rumour,” he said. “Her podcast is conversations with people. How would she not have, of course she did.”

The Watch What Happens Live! host also noted that his conversation with Meghan was “quite well-researched,” “well-informed,” and “thoughtful”.

During their conversation, which aired in November, the Duchess told Cohen how she was a big fan of his Real Housewives franchise. Cohen also recalled how viewers wanted Meghan to appear on the programme in 2020, after she and Harry announced that they’d be stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family.

“Everyone is like: ‘Oh, she should join the Beverly Hills housewives,’” he said on Archetypes. “And I’m like: ‘She ain’t joining the Beverly Hills housewives, everybody. That’s not happening. She’s Meghan Markle.’”

In response, Meghan said that she had “never heard” this rumour, before confirming that there “will be no reality show” about her life.

Last week, Spotify announced that it would be ending its deal with Meghan and Harry, after the streaming platform launched the first season of Archetypes. The couple’s production company also confirmed the news in a statement, which read: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways.”

After the $20m deal ended, a leading Spotify figure didn’t hesitate to lash out at the couple. On 16 June, Bill Simmons, who sold The Ringer to Spotify for $200m in 2020, slammed the Sussexes on his own podcast. “The f***ing grifters. That’s the podcast we shoulda launched with them,” he said.

“I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea,” he added. “It’s one of my best stories.”

Regarding why the couple ended the deal with Spotify, Wall Street Journal reported that they haven’t “met the productivity benchmarks required to receive the full payout from the deal”, citing insiders familiar with the matter.

Under the terms of the 2020 deal, Harry and Meghan were signed on to produce and host “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world” in the form of podcasts that championed diverse voices.

Days after Meghan parted ways with Spotify, a column from The Mail on Sunday claimed that the Duchess could be doing a partnership with luxury fashion brand Christian Dior. However, a spokesperson for the Sussexes has told The Telegraph that Meghan will not be working with Dior. A source at Dior also told the publication that the brand was “nonplussed as to how” these rumours “‘came about”.