Meghan Markle Is Reportedly Mortified by Jessica Mulroney Scandal

last updated 28 September 2021

In the wake of Jessica Mulroney's recent white privilege scandal, her longtime friend Meghan Markle is reportedly "mortified."
Mulroney seemed to reference Meghan at one point while defending herself and her actions.
In the fallout of the incident, Mulroney's CTV series, I Do Redo, has been cancelled and she's been fired from Good Morning America.

Jessica Mulroney (opens in new tab) is still facing fallout for her inappropriate treatment of Black influencer Sasha Exeter (opens in new tab), which many saw as epitomizing the problematic nature—not to mention the very real, harmful impact—of white privilege.

In case you missed the story in the onslaught of other important news that's constantly pouring in, here are the basics: Exeter, a Canadian lifestyle blogger, posted a general call-to-action for influencers to use their platforms to promote anti-racism. Mulroney (opens in new tab), Exeter later explained in an Instagram video about the situation, seem to take offense to the post and proceeded contact brands to speak poorly of Exeter and discourage them from working with her.

"What happened next was a series of very problematic behavior and antics that ultimately resulted in [Mulroney] sending me a threat in writing last Wednesday," Exeter, who is Black, explained in her video post.

"Listen, I am by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this, she is very well aware of her wealth, her perceived power and privilege because of the color of her skin. And that, my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing," she continued, saying Mulroney had used "textbook white privilege."

In the days that followed, Mulroney's CTV reality series, I Do Redo, (opens in new tab) was cancelled and news broke that she would no longer appear as a contributor on Good Morning America.

Mulroney has since announced her decision to step back from public life and to use this situation as an opportunity to reflect and grow, but before her decision to fully take a break from social media, she issued a series of explanations and apologies, including a public comment on Exeter's video that seemed to allude to her highly-publicized, longtime friendship with Meghan Markle (opens in new tab).

"As I told you privately, I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre," she wrote. "It was deeply educational. I learned a lot from that."

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commonwealth day service 2020 — (Image credit: Karwai Tang)

March 9, 2020

Meghan and Prince Harry attend the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey with all of the royal family. Meghan is wearing a custom Emilia Wickstead dress and carrying a Gabriela Hearst Demi bag (opens in new tab); she's also wearing Birks earrings and Aquazzura heels (opens in new tab).

So how does Meghan feel about being low-key name-dropped in Mulroney's defense of her actions? Not great, according to the Daily Mail (opens in new tab).

"Meghan is absolutely mortified that she's been dragged into this complete mess. She said Jessica is in no way a racist, but the way she handled the situation (with the fashion influencer) was tone-deaf and heartbreaking," a close friend of Meghan's reportedly told the Daily Mail exclusively.

The source added that the scandal could mark the "beginning of the end of their friendship."

"Meghan said friends reflect friends and because of what's at stake she can no longer be associated with Jessica, at least not in public. She has to do what she has to do in order to preserve her dignity and her own reputation," the source added during their chat with the Daily Mail.

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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.