Meghan Markle’s 2018 marriage to Prince Harry, along with her entry into the British royal family, came with numerous benefits, such as the title of Duchess of Sussex and a much larger platform to champion her causes. However, it also brought with it a number of restrictions. The former “Suits” actress likely took for granted the freedoms she once had, such as posing for selfies with fans, wearing short skirts, posting on her Instagram, or even issuing a statement to address critics or correct false claims made by the media. These limitations probably became frustrating for Meghan, especially as she quickly became the target of frequent and, at times, misogynistic and racist criticism after joining the royal family.
Among her harshest critics are her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., who did not hold back when criticizing his daughter over her new Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, and her half-sister, Samantha Markle, whose ongoing feud with Meghan has spanned years. Similarly, polarizing TV host Piers Morgan takes issue with nearly everything the Sussexes do, from their accolades to their royal event appearances. Morgan’s infamous rant about Meghan even led to his departure from Good Morning Britain in 2021.
Megyn Kelly is another outspoken figure who has consistently made it clear that she’s not a fan of the Duchess of Sussex. The former Fox News and NBC host’s responses to Meghan often range from eye rolls (such as when Kelly showed frustration over Meghan’s frequent mention of “my husband” on her “Archetypes” podcast) to outright criticism, both on her show and in interviews.
Kelly showed little empathy for Meghan’s struggles within the royal family.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey shocked the world, particularly with their bombshell allegations, including claims that an unnamed royal family member made racist remarks about the skin color of their unborn child, Prince Archie, and that palace officials denied Meghan help when she struggled with her mental health. Megyn Kelly, however, showed little sympathy for the couple and made her feelings known on social media. After the interview aired, she took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize Meghan and Harry for “pretend[ing] that no royal has had it worse in the press than they have.”
Kelly responded, saying, “Give me a break. Have you ever seen such privileged people wallowing in their own (perceived) victimhood like this?” The outspoken media figure, whose NBC show was canceled in 2018 after she defended blackface, further argued that Meghan played the victim throughout the interview. She criticized Meghan for seemingly seeking sympathy for her own struggles, while refusing to show the same empathy for her estranged father, whom she hasn’t reconciled with since he was caught staging paparazzi photos before the royal wedding. “Everyone victimizes Meghan! Everyone! The palace! The press! Even her dad — who had no money, no clue, and was caught in a media frenzy he didn’t know how to manage — he’s the villain! She is — yet again — the victim. It never ends,” Kelly fumed in a follow-up tweet.
Kelly didn’t hold back, branding Meghan an “opportunist.”
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Beyond portraying herself as a victim in every situation, Megyn Kelly also accused Meghan Markle of being pretentious and hypocritical, especially when the Duchess claimed during her interview with Oprah Winfrey that she wasn’t influenced by the “grandeur” that came with becoming a royal. Kelly pointed out the irony of Meghan, who invited A-list celebrities to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, and referenced unverified reports suggesting she wore earrings gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who was allegedly involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Kelly argued that these instances contradicted Meghan’s claims of rejecting the prestige associated with her royal title and marriage.
“What I saw tonight was someone who is completely unaware of herself, utterly oblivious to how she came across. Like, ‘I wasn’t planning on saying anything shocking, except for my husband’s racist family almost drove me to suicidal thoughts while I was pregnant,'” Kelly declared during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, commenting on Meghan’s attention-grabbing interview, according to the Daily Mail. This wasn’t the first time Kelly accused Meghan of saying one thing but implying something entirely different.
After Joe Biden’s sister voiced support for Meghan Markle potentially running for president one day, Megyn Kelly speculated that the duchess might be seriously considering it, despite previously stating that she desired privacy—a claim that Meghan’s representative denied. Kelly remarked, “I’m sure she’d love to be president one day because she seems to thrive in the spotlight, even though she doesn’t admit it. But what this suggests to me—that she might even be contemplating such a move or eyeing it for the future—is that she’s a dishonest and narcissistic opportunist.” The outspoken commentator shared this opinion on Dan Wootton Tonight, adding, “What she tells us publicly isn’t how she truly feels. What she craves is the spotlight.”
Kelly pulled Meghan into a controversy that didn’t involve her.
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Before Meghan Markle parted ways with Spotify, her podcast Archetypes attracted around 1 million listeners per episode, with Megyn Kelly seemingly being one of them, at least for the episode titled “To ‘B’ or Not to ‘B’?” This episode sparked a backlash from Kelly. In it, Meghan tackled the use of the word “b***h” and discussed how the term “difficult” is often a code for the B-word, particularly in professional environments. While Meghan clearly considered this topic significant enough to devote one of her 12 episodes to, Kelly had a very different perspective, stating that it reflected just how out of touch Meghan had become.
In a conversation with GB News, the TV personality vented, “I wouldn’t necessarily call her the B-word, but I would definitely call her the C-word: clueless! She is completely clueless. I’m so tired of her repetitive, irrelevant rants about her so-called problems,” pointing out that ordinary people are more concerned with issues like homelessness and soaring food and gas prices. However, Meghan continues to occupy Kelly’s thoughts, even when the duchess hasn’t said anything, as Kelly has brought up her name in discussions that had nothing to do with her.
During an appearance on Dan Wootton Tonight, Megyn Kelly offered her thoughts on Will Smith’s infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, just before he accepted the Best Actor award and alluded to his struggles in Hollywood during his speech. Kelly, without any prompting, drew a comparison between Smith and Meghan Markle, accusing both of “whining and crying” about issues that ordinary people couldn’t relate to. Talk about obsession.
Kelly criticized the Duchess of Sussex, calling her a narcissist.
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Archetypes often sparked strong reactions from Megyn Kelly. In the episode “The Duality of Diva,” Meghan Markle shared that she initially felt uneasy when guest Mariah Carey referred to her as a “diva” during their conversation. Meghan explained that she later realized Carey was referencing her stylish outfits and walk, not her attitude toward others. While Meghan expressed concern that Carey may have misinterpreted her actions or heard a false rumor, Kelly offered a much darker interpretation of the Duchess’s remarks.
“I’m choking on the narcissism,” she joked on The Megyn Kelly Show, adding, “She can’t understand why anyone would think she’s a diva? Let me count the ways.” The former Fox News host went on to do just that, accusing Meghan of being manipulative and high-maintenance, citing her allegedly orchestrating situations to make it easier for photographers to capture her at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations—one of the few royal events Meghan attended after Megxit.
Kelly also alleged that the former Suits actress only engages with journalists who paint her in a positive light and swiftly takes legal measures against outlets that publish less-than-complimentary stories. “I mean, the fact that she didn’t want to live in the royal cottage, Frogmore, because it wasn’t up to her standards, and they had to renovate it using taxpayer money. I could go on and on,” Kelly continued. “And now she acts like, ‘Oh, the outrage. Thank goodness it was just about my looks. Thank goodness. That, I can handle. Look at me.’”
Kelly Added Insult to Injury Over Meghan’s Spotify Exit
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When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry abruptly ended their partnership with Spotify in 2023 after just one season of her podcast Archetypes, both Hollywood insiders and critics had a field day with the news. Spotify executive Bill Simmons harshly labeled Meghan and Harry as “f***ing grifters” on his podcast (via X), while United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer humorously remarked to Semafor, “Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent,” adding, “Just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”
Megyn Kelly added to the criticism during what was already a tough period for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Speaking with Sky News Australia, she suggested that Meghan’s alleged lack of work ethic was a key factor in why Archetypes wasn’t renewed for a second season and why Spotify ended its partnership with the couple. According to the former Fox News host, “They don’t want to work. It’s the same reason they left the royal family. […] The fact that she couldn’t even complete 12 episodes without complaining is downright pathetic.”
Megyn Kelly also suggested that the lack of high-profile guests willing to appear on Meghan Markle’s show signaled that the duchess’s influence was dwindling, and that it wasn’t enough to justify another season. Kelly went further, claiming that Meghan simply didn’t have what it took to succeed in the podcasting world. “She wasn’t good at it. She was artificial. She was acting. She was over the top. Her fake saccharine voice,” Kelly criticized. “She was pathetic.” Despite the negative feedback, Meghan didn’t let critics like Kelly hold her back. In March 2025, she proudly announced the launch of her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.
Kelly accused Meghan of being a “fake feminist.”
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“I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.” These were the words Meghan Markle used to open a speech she delivered in 2015 as a United Nations women’s advocate for political participation and leadership, a year before meeting and starting her relationship with Prince Harry. Meghan continued to champion women’s rights throughout her time as a working royal and beyond, even using it as the opening line in her bio on the Sussex.com website. However, Megyn Kelly cast serious doubt on Meghan’s feminist credentials, suggesting that her actions told a very different story.
“She’s a feminist only as long as it makes her look good,” the outspoken commentator declared on The Megyn Kelly Show in 2024. She went on to mock Meghan on Sky News Australia for expressing on Archetypes that she felt “objectified” while working as a briefcase model on Deal or No Deal. According to Kelly, “She’s calling herself a feminist who’s going to shape the future. How? Because no one bothered to listen to your first awful podcast where all you did was lecture us on feminism, and everyone hated it.”
The media personality also insinuated that Meghan Markle subtly took a jab at her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, during the infamous Oprah Winfrey interview by mentioning “Waity Katie” — a derogatory nickname the British tabloids gave Kate. Kelly saw this as another piece of evidence that the Duchess of Sussex wasn’t the “girl’s girl” she always claimed to be. As Kelly bluntly put it, “So, it’s a joke. She’s not a feminist. She’s only a Meghanist. That’s it. She cares about promoting one thing: herself.”
Kelly Didn’t Hold Back on Her Critique of With Love, Meghan
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In 2025, many people began a fresh chapter, adopting healthier routines or exploring new passions, but for Megyn Kelly, it was business as usual — at least when it came to expressing disdain for Meghan Markle. Kelly wasted no time criticizing the Duchess in January after Markle delayed the launch of her Netflix lifestyle series, “With Love, Meghan,” and, alongside Prince Harry, contributed to relief efforts for the devastating wildfires that hit their home state of California. “What kind of person would attend these fires in her position and ensure they’re captured on camera, creating news stories about their help for the poor […] residents of Los Angeles whose homes were destroyed?” Kelly fumed on Sky News Australia.
She remarked, “The last thing I’d ever do is make myself part of someone else’s hardship just for a photo opportunity. It’s revolting.” Kelly didn’t hold back in her criticism of “With Love, Meghan,” which premiered in March. From the duchess’s wardrobe to her interest in beekeeping, the outspoken commentator found the entire series phony and disconnected from reality. “She’s the most insecure person I’ve seen in the public spotlight in ages. That’s why everything had to be meticulously staged. Who on earth picks berries while wearing a white cashmere sweater and white pants? Absolutely no one,” she raged on “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
The podcaster also took aim at Meghan for presenting herself as a working mom, despite not facing the typical challenges that most working mothers do, thanks to her extensive team of staff members. “She hasn’t lifted a finger, except for maybe the couple of hours each day spent in front of the camera for these absurd staged photoshoots,” Kelly speculated.
