Royal Commentator Says Meghan Markle’s ‘Archetypes’ Is ‘All About Her’
Meghan Markle has added podcast host to her list of accomplishments. So far, Archetypes has been one of the most talked about podcasts. One royal commentator says Meghan’s show is too focused on her world. Here’s what he had to say.
Meghan Markle’s ‘Archetypes’
Meghan began her Archetypes podcast earlier this year. She told listeners she would show a different side of herself. Now that she is no longer a senior working royal, she has more freedom to speak her mind.
“People should expect the real me in this and probably the me that they’ve never gotten to know,” says Meghan during a promo for the show. “Certainly not in the past few years, where everything is through the lens of the media, as opposed to ‘Hey, it’s me.’ I’m just excited to be myself and talk and be unfiltered.”
Royal Commentator says Meghan’s podcast is ‘all about her’
Royal commentator Neil Sean says he doesn’t think there will ever be a guest who is completely happy with the outcome of an interview with Meghan. According to him, a lot of the focus seems to be on Meghan’s personal experiences. He doesn’t believe she devotes enough time to her guests and what they have experienced.
Sean says a source told him Paris Hilton thought her interview with Meghan would help “reinvigorate” her career and remind people about her brand. However, Sean says Hilton didn’t get what she hoped for.
“Allegedly, Paris didn’t think that she came out of [the interview] with glowing terms,” says Sean during an online commentary. According to him, it’s likely because the focus was on Meghan instead of Hilton.
Neil Sean doesn’t think celebrities benefit when they appear on Meghan’s podcast
Sean says he doesn’t understand why celebrities would want to appear on Meghan’s podcast. According to him, the show is meant to promote Meghan, not her guests.
“It’s all really to do with the fact that if you think about it with this, once again Meghan made the podcast all about her,” says Sean. “The story that she put out about the briefcase and the Deal or No Deal made sure that nobody really was talking about Paris and everybody once again was talking about Meghan and a rather unique narrative of her own story that seemingly did or did not happen.”
Sean says Meghan’s guests will have to put up with being “ignored” in the hopes of getting some media exposure. He believes it might be difficult for Meghan to get guests in the future.
“It is going to prove very difficult for Meghan in the future because unless you don’t mind being ignored and sitting there with Meghan making her look good, why on earth, truly, would you want to go on her podcast? Why?” asks Sean. “Nobody’s talking about you; everybody’s talking about her.”
Other commentators seem to agree
Sean isn’t the only commentator who thinks Archetypes focuses too heavily on Meghan’s experiences. Author and journalist Alexander Larman recently made a similar analysis in The Spectator. Larman commends Meghan for highlighting important topics, but he takes issue with Meghan’s hosting style, describing her approach as “dominant.”
“Unfortunately, it will not come as a surprise to anyone listening to the podcast that her guests are barely allowed to make any impression, so dominant is the host,” says Larman. “[Lisa] Ling discusses racism in the broadcast media, but before long, Meghan has turned the conversation round to her own experiences growing up with Korean-American culture.”
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