Don’t Worry, ‘Archetypes’ Fans—We Doubt Meghan Markle Is Done Podcasting

Meghan Markle in a gold gown speaking behind a podium

(Image credit: Getty)

published 17 June 2023

Meghan Markle’s “Archetypes” podcast might not be getting a season two with Spotify—she and Prince Harry are no longer working with the company, which they inked a $20 million deal with back in 2020—but apparently this isn’t the end of the road for Meghan and podcasting.

Meghan’s management has revealed that she plans to continue to “develop content” for fans and is working with “another platform,” per The Mirror. WME—Meghan’s new talent agency—issued a statement to The Wall Street Journal that read “The team behind ‘Archetypes’ remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the ‘Archetypes’ audience on another platform.”

Meghan Markle in red speaking behind a podium

“Archetypes” was a 12-episode series exclusive to Spotify and released its first episode last August. The show, aimed to “investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” saw guests like Serena Williams and Mariah Carey appear. Prior to the podcast’s release, Meghan said she was “excited” to be herself on the show, adding “people should expect the real me in this. Probably the me that they’ve never gotten to know. Certainly not in the past few years where everything is through the lens of the media.”

Public relations expert Anna Grace Du Noyer told The Daily Express “it is noteworthy that the couple’s representatives have mentioned the development of more content for the ‘Archetypes’ audience on another platform, suggesting an agile pivot rather than a withdrawal from the podcasting realm.”

Meghan Markle in white under an umbrella

After signing the $20 million deal with Spotify in 2020, from then until now, Harry and Meghan only released the 12 episodes of “Archetypes,” plus a holiday special. That breaks down to each episode being worth over $1.5 million each. (It’s unclear if Harry and Meghan have been or will be paid out the full amount.) Yet, says Du Noyer, this parting of ways isn’t the end of the world: “When viewed within the larger framework of their multiple commercial endeavors—including a substantial deal with Netflix and Harry’s contract with Penguin Books—this recent development seems less a major setback and more a bump in the road,” she said.

Meghan Markle smiling at the camera in a white off the shoulder top

A possible next step? The Daily Express reports that, in the potential relaunch of her blog, “The Tig,” an audio arm might be on the table: “I think that Meghan will build her own community and brand like Kourtney Kardashian and Poosh or Gwyneth Paltrow with Goop,” said brand and culture expert Nick Ede. “So I think ‘The Tig’ will probably have an audio arm where she can produce and play ‘Archetypes’ and it will be available on all platforms, not just Spotify.”

TOPICS

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

Recommended reading

Stay In The Know