Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Part Ways with Spotify Amid Shocking $20M Deal
Three years after signing a $20 million contract with Spotify, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle are breaking off their relationship with the company. Despite debuting at the top of the charts last year, the duo's podcast "Archetypes" won't be getting a second season, a source revealed to The New York Post on Thursday.
According to the insider, the pair didn't create enough content to be eligible for their full multi-million dollar payout. Spotify and Archewell Audio released a joint statement in which they said they had "mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together." It seems, though, that if they receive a better offer from another business, the couple might reconsider.
The story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which was then joined by a spokesperson for Archewell Productions, who revealed, "Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform."
The Markle-hosted program "Archetypes" aims to "investigate, dissect and subvert the labels that try to hold women back." Some of Hollywood's top stars, like Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton, and Mindy Kaling, previously sat down with Markle for the hour-long episodes. However, there hasn't been a new one since November 2022.
According to The New York Post, during the period of formal mourning for Queen Elizabeth II in September, the Duchess of Sussex suspended production of the podcast. On the final "Archetypes" episode, "Man-ifesting A Cultural Shift," which aired on November 29, Trevor Noah, Andy Cohen, and Judd Apatow made appearances. A request for comment from Page Six was not immediately answered by the pair's representatives.
The information was released fewer than six months after Rebecca Sananès, the show's producer, announced her departure amid a lack of clarity on the podcast's future. Although the reason behind the Duke and Duchess' decision to terminate their Spotify contract is unknown, the outlet was told they began to have second thoughts about it after Joe Rogan, another client of the firm, made contentious remarks regarding the COVID-19 vaccination on his podcast.
"Harry and Meghan will be less than thrilled with Spotify, it's hugely embarrassing for them," a source informed Page Six in 2021. "And they have to think, 'Do we really want to be on the same banner as Joe Rogan?'"
Markle also recently joined WME, the talent agency that also represents the duo's Archewell content creation company. "The agency will be focusing on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency & its broader ecosystem, including film & television production, brand partnerships & more," the business said in April. According to Page Six, CEO of Endeavour Ari Emanuel is a member of Markle's team at WME, and Markle hopes he can help her become a "power player" in Hollywood.
