“Meghan Markle is not just the Duchess of Sussex. She is now the queen of podcasts.” The coronation is thus pronounced by the Los Angeles Times. Released August 23 exclusively on Spotify, “Meghan Markle’s new podcast, Archetypes, has this week dethroned the very popular Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify’s list of most-listened to podcasts in six countries, including the US and the UK.”
The result of an exclusive partnership with the streaming platform, the project aims, according to the description that is offered, to discuss casually with guests in order to“to examine, dissect and blast away the labels attached to women to prevent them from advancing”.
The first episode, lasting about an hour, deals with the negative connotation of the term “ambition” applied to women and to do so, welcomes Serena Williams as she approaches her retirement from sport. This is an opportunity for the two women, born the same year 1981 in Los Angeles, to recall their friendship and discuss their respective journeys.
Archetype of egocentrism?
Fans of the American actress will love it, and her detractors will delight in being provided with new ammunition to present her as narcissist, summarizes a New Statesman clairvoyant. The English magazine notes that, for example, “Meghan takes forever to introduce her guest, tennis star Serena Williams, because she’s too busy dwell on the feminist victories of her childhood [une campagne de pub qu’elle a fait modifier] and congratulating nuns who had apparently taken their destiny into their own hands at a Catholic school [son collège-lycée de Los Angeles]”.
Unsurprisingly therefore, on the side of the British conservative press, the criticisms are raining down. “The podcast is a succession of banalities, nonsense and Californian platitudes”, judge in particular the daily The Times.
“[Il] makes you feel like you’ve been locked in a spa relaxation room with a life story yoga teacher.”
Same story on the side of the no less conservative weekly Spectator which title, visibly delighted to shoot red balls: “Meghan’s podcast is mostly about her.” And to be surprised at the amount of the partnership agreement (18 million dollars, about the same in euros), given the final result.
Target an American audience
Nevertheless, points out New Statesmanthose who do not have a grudge against the duchess will find their account to listen to the episode with Serena Williams. “First of all, it’s very interesting to listen to two African-American women who have largely succeeded in life speak candidly about the discrimination they have faced on such a high-end podcast.”
The leftist weekly continues:
“This mix of personal development and intimate conversation will infuriate many Brits, but for a left-leaning American audience it’s arguably the right mix of inspiration and sincerity.”
Indeed, the tone of criticism on the American side of the Atlantic is radically different. Thereby, Forbes raves about a first episode “at the very least smart, daring and thrilling”. And, argument to follow the next 11 episodes, one of the strengths of the interviewer, in addition to a “voice obviously made for the radio”, is his talent to “to bring out a form of vulnerability in guests who are frequently considered to have superhuman qualities”.
The Daily Beast, for her part, highlights how well the Duchess of Sussex seems to be in control of her public trajectory. This podcast is for Meghan Markle a way, according to the New York news site, to continue the media war between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family. She does not hesitate to come back to her negative experiences in detail. Prince Harry, her husband, is due to release a book in November, around the last episode of the podcast series. Despite the scathing reviews, “Meghan probably knows that no one at Buckingham is going to want to accuse her of lying, exaggerating or making it up – knowing that a good part of her conversation with Serena Williams is about the fact that women are often accused of being hysterics or not knowing how to control their nerves whereas a man, in the same situation, will be seen as passionate and determined”.