Meghan Markle's Netflix show savaged by critics, accused of ‘hijacking all the oxygen in the room': expert
The 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex's series, which premiered March 4, sits at a dismal 33% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer.
In the show, Markle shared her favorite cooking recipes and hosting tips while joined by some of her famous friends, including Mindy Kaling, former "Suits" co-star Abigail Spencer, Argentine influencer Delfina Blaquier and celebrity chefs Roy Choi and Alice Waters.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, explained why she believes "With Love, Meghan" missed the mark.
"Meghan needs to elevate the people around her instead of hijacking all the oxygen in the room," Schofield said.
"She appears totally self-consumed and tone deaf," Schofield added. "You're standing next to Mindy Kaling, and you're not asking her how she built her girl boss empire? Why?"
After rising to fame when she starred in the hit NBC sitcom "The Office," Kaling, 45, founded her production company, Kaling International, in 2012. Through Kaling International, Kaling has created and produced a number of successful television series, including "The Mindy Project," "Never Have I Ever" and "The Sex Lives of College Girls."
Kaling is the creator and showrunner of her company's most recent project, Netflix's TV show "Running Point," which stars Kate Hudson. The sports comedy premiered on the streaming platform Feb. 27 and debuted at No. 3 on Netflix's Top 10 Shows in the U.S.
The six-time Emmy Award winner joined Markle in the second episode of "With Love, Meghan" during which they teamed up to host a children's garden tea party. According to Markle, the two have been "email pen pals" since Kaling appeared on her "Archetypes" podcast in 2022.
Shortly after the show's premiere, the episode went viral for a moment when Markle corrected Kaling when the comedian referred to the duchess by her maiden name.
"It's so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle," Markle said. "You know I'm Sussex now."
Schofield noted how the viral exchange highlighted points that other reviewers made in their criticism of "With Love, Meghan." The show, which Markle chose to film at a rented estate in Montecito, California, instead of her own home nearby, has been critiqued for lacking authenticity.
"Meghan lacks humility or an ounce of authenticity." Schofield said. "It's a blatantly obvious PR exercise that does not give us a glimpse of Meghan's real world. She's doing random arts and crafts in someone else's house with people she claims are her very best friends but doesn't know that they're left-handed or allergic to peanut butter? Your 'girl' Mindy doesn't know your last name is Sussex?
"It's such a painful farce," Schofield added. "Her 'hacks' are common knowledge, and her definition of 'elevating' equals wasting 60 pounds of fruit and tracing lines on your paper menu with a pencil so you can erase them later."
Royal photographer Helena Chard agreed that Markle's show would have had more resonance with audiences if she had used the opportunity to authentically connect with her guests and showcase her real personality.
"As far as I see, Meghan lacks charisma and connection with her guests and audience," Chard told Fox News Digital. "Her guests, however, glorify Meghan, putting her on a pedestal. It would do Meghan's character wonders if she changed things up by focusing and lifting her guests for a change."
Chard pointed out that audiences in the United Kingdom may not be familiar with some of the guests on "With Love, Meghan" and "to find out more about them would add a special touch."
The royal expert described Markle's cooking and hosting tips and tricks as "unoriginal and basic."
"The production sadly feels bland, staged and stilted," Chard added. "Netflix [has] shot a glossy production focusing on Meghan. The hope is the series will show Meghan in a new light, rehabilitate her image and change public perception.
"The truth is people want to see more raw fun moments, not staged aspirational content," she explained. "A fun, authentic personality full of heart resonates far more with the public and would give Meghan far more kudos."
"With Love, Meghan" was originally scheduled to be released in January, but its debut was delayed due to the Los Angeles fires. The lifestyle show is the latest project to originate from the multiyear deal Markle and husband Prince Harry made with Netflix in 2020. The streamer announced Friday that "With Love, Meghan" will premiere its second season this fall and that the episodes have already been shot.
In December 2024, Netflix released Harry's five-part documentary project, "Polo," which followed professional polo players as they compete in the U.S. Open Polo Championship during the 2024 season. Harry and Meghan made brief appearances in the docuseries when the duke competed in a charity polo match.
"Polo" was also met with mostly negative reviews after its release. Royal expert Hilary Fordwich drew comparisons between "Polo" and "With Love, Meghan," telling Fox News Digital the shows were poorly received for similar reasons.
"Most unfortunately, just like Harry's Netflix flop 'Polo', amongst the plethora of reasons why ratings are so low and critics have savaged [Markle]'s is due to lack of authenticity, being a tone-deaf portrayal of privileged self-important people," Fordwich said.
"Neither Netflix show has resonated with audiences. Both have been universally derided," she added.
Fordwich cited the shows' low ranking scores from users on IMDb, where "Polo" holds an audience score of three out of 10 and "With Love, Meghan" notched a score of 2.7 out of 10.
"Both sets of low ratings are devastating as Netflix doesn't invest to reap such lackluster ratings," Fordwich said.
Fordwich referred to an Instagram post Markle shared to promote "With Love, Meghan" ahead of its release. On Tuesday, Markle uploaded a carousel of images taken during the show's production, writing "Today is the day! A few BTS snaps + food pictures I took on set for 'With Love, Meghan.' Come join the party on @netflix!"
"It's not exactly begging, but [Markle] has encouraged fans to 'Come join the party,' perhaps due to the ghastly ratings?" Fordwich said.
Despite the show's negative reviews, Markle celebrated its streaming success in a post she shared on her Instagram story Wednesday.
"For more recipes, fun, and reasons to 'Mmmm', check out the show — which in just 24 hours is already in the Top 10!" the duchess wrote underneath a promo for "With Love, Meghan."
"Thank you to all of you around the world who are tuning in!"
"With Love, Meghan" held the No. 6 spot on Netflix's Top 10 Wednesday and climbed to No. 5 by Thursday. However, as of Friday, the show moved to No. 7 on the streaming platform's Top 10.
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