Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been branded "f***ing grifters" by a top Spotify executive after their Archetypes podcast was axed. The Duke and Duchess' podcast only ran for one series and will not be renewed after the couple secured an estimated £18m deal late in 2020.
It is believed the Sussexes could lost £8million due to no longer producing content for the digital music streaming giant, the Mirror reports. In a podcast episode on Friday, Bill Simmons, Head of Podcast Innovation and Monetisation at Spotify, hit out at the couple.
He said: "The f***ing grifters. That's the podcast we should have launched with them. I've got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It's one of my best stories."
Simmons joined Spotify after selling his sports and pop culture website and podcast network The Ringer to the company for $£156million. In January of last year, he described it as "embarrassing" to be employed by the same company as Prince Harry and has been critical of the couple.
"Shoot this guy to the sun," he said, according to sports website The Big Lead. "I'm so tired of this guy. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about s*** and keeps giving interviews. Who gives a s***? Who cares about your life?
"You weren't even the favorite son. You live in f***ing Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them."
Archetypes was hosted by Meghan and it ran from August last year, with 12 episodes in the first series. She chatted to celebrities, historians and experts about the history of stereotypes levelled against women. Among those interviewed by the Duchess of Sussex were tennis star Serena Williams, singer Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and actors Mindy Kaling and Constance Wu.
The parting of ways has now been confirmed by a statement from Archewell Audio, the couple’s content creation label, and Spotify. The joint statement from Archwell and Spotify said: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”
Harry and Meghan signed a lucrative deal with the audio streaming giant to host and produce podcasts, estimated to be worth around $25million (£18million), in late 2020. At the People’s Choice Award in Los Angeles in December, Archetypes won the top podcast award.
At the time, Meghan wrote on the couple's Archewell website: “I loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up late at night in bed, working on the writing and creative. And I loved digging deep into meaningful conversation with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them. It has been such a labour of love.”
Archetypes was launched with the aim of investigating "labels that try to hold women back" through conversations between Meghan and historians, experts and women who have experienced being typecast. Earlier this year, the Duchess of Sussex was awarded a Gracie Award for her Spotify podcast.
The Gracie awards, which are organised by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation celebrate exemplary programming and achievements by women in the media.
Responding to her win on the Archewell website, Meghan said: "Thank you to the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for this prestigious honor. This is a shared success for me and the team behind Archetypes – most of whom are women – and the inspiring guests who joined me each week."
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