The Duchess of Sussex shares her thoughts on the 'Real Housewives' franchise.
Meghan Markle is talking Housewives. On Tuesday’s finale episode of the Archetypes podcast titled, "Man-ifesting a Cultural Shift With Trevor Noah, Andy Cohen and Judd Apatow," the Duchess of Sussex switched things up as her guests were all men.
In a move that was influenced by her husband, Prince Harry, the 41-year-old host speaks with the three men about the role they play in influencing and debunking labels that are put on women.
Meghan began her conversation with Andy, executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise. During their discussion, the duchess shares she was once a fan of the Housewives but no longer watches because things were just getting too real.
"I will tell you the truth, I stopped watching the Housewives when my life had its own level of drama that I stopped craving," Meghan tells Andy when he asks her if she still tunes in weekly.
"I get why it was such a huge, huge part of pop culture. And when it began, because you began with Orange County and I'm from California, at least it felt remotely like a world that I knew but still felt so foreign," she says.
Meghan admits that she still has plenty of friends who tune in weekly, which sometimes makes her wonder why.
"I would say almost every one of my friends still watches it and I go, 'Why are you watching that? There’s so much drama,'" she says. "And it’s because it’s entertainment. It's so entertaining to them and also, it’s so familiar because it’s been on for so long. You’ve created an empire."
Andy added that it gives the viewers a guilt-free reason to get in on some hot tea. "It’s like an excuse to gossip about friends who aren’t really our friends," he says.
Meghan was shocked to find out from Andy that some fans put her name in the ring for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as soon as she and Prince Harry announced they were moving back to California in 2020.
When asked how she felt about the chatter, Meghan admits that she had no clue fans wanted that to happen. But Andy quickly shut the idea down.
"I’m like, 'She ain’t joining the Beverly Hills Housewives, everybody,'" Andy says, confirming he would never have pitched the idea. "'She has a full plate. She’s Meghan Markle.'"
He adds, "I never even tried to stoke the fire because I was like, 'Folks, this is not happening.'"
Meghan took the opportunity to play with the idea of using the podcast as her interview for the Real Housewives of Montecito. When Andy playfully quipped that they would "build the show around you," the duchess shut down any reality TV dreams.
"There will be no reality show," she says. "I never heard of the Beverly Hills of it all."
Meghan also discusses the "mix feelings" she has about the way the women are portrayed on the series and the "caricatures" it may have created of the cast members.
Andy explains that the women who are on the show enjoy their experiences and that they have the same level of drama off-camera.
Andy also shared the key piece of advice he has given to some of the women within the franchise.
"I think it’s the ones that care that get really tripped up," he tells Meghan. "You just have to worry about being yourself and being a version of yourself that you can be comfortable with putting out there. Don’t compromise yourself."
Andy said that his goal is to showcase these women’s stories and "allow them to shine and fly."
Meghan asked Andy, who is the father of daughter Lucy, how he would explain the series to her, years in the future.
After admitting he would say it’s like a soap opera, he would reassure her it’s not much different than friend groups she would have experienced.
"I would say it’s a show about a group of friends and how they get along or may not get along," he says. "And that in a weird way, it may not be that different from her group of friends on a playground. They agree and disagree on different things, but maybe it’s not that different."
Meghan’s episode also includes a chat with Apatow, who discusses how his wife and their two daughters shifted his perspective of storytelling. And Noah, host of The Daily Show, shares why he is not ashamed of expressing emotion.
Archetypes premiered in August. Throughout the duration of the podcast, the duchess has spoken to Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, Issa Rae and more powerful women about the stereotypes often projected onto them.
At the end of the final episode, the host reflects on the fun and illuminating experience.
"I learned so much and I loved it," she says. "Thank you for listening and learning with me. This has been liberating and learning. And this has been fun."
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