Meghan Markle called not a 'great' talent by top Hollywood agency CEO after Spotify deal's abrupt end
The Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry, who inked a $20 million deal with Spotify in 2020, parted ways with the streaming giant earlier this month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan Markle's talent was called into question by United Talent Agency (UTA) CEO Jeremy Zimmer during an interview last week.
The top Hollywood agent weighed in after Spotify abruptly ended its deal with the 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry following the cancelation of Markle's podcast "Archetypes" after just one season.
"Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent," Zimmer told global news website Semafor when asked about the podcast cancelation at the 2023 Cannes Lions advertising festival in Cannes, France.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer was asked about Meghan Markle's sudden end of her Spotify deal. (Getty)
"And, you know, just because you're famous doesn't make you great at something," he added.
Reps for Markle did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
MEGHAN MARKLE’S ‘ARCHETYPES’ PODCAST ON SPOTIFY WON’T BE RENEWED AFTER ONE SEASON: REPORT
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Zimmer, who co-founded UTA with Jim Berkus and Peter Benedek in 1991, has represented a slew of A-list clients including Mariah Carey, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Hart, Chelsea Handler, Bryan Cranston and M. Knight Shyamalan.
UTA, which is among the top three Hollywood agencies along with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and William Morris Endeavor (WME), has assisted with podcast deals for clients including Handler, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen.
Markle, who starred on the USA Network show "Suits" for seven seasons from 2011 to 2018, signed with WME in April.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry signed a $20 million deal with the streaming giant in 2020. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP)
In December 2020, Harry and Meghan inked a multi-year podcasting deal, which was worth about $20 million, with Spotify.
Through their production company Archewell Audio, the couple produced "Archetypes," which was hosted by Markle and debuted in August 2022. The 12-episode podcast became an instant hit, topping Spotify charts in seven countries, including the U.S. and U.K. "Archetypes," which featured interviews with guests including Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton, also won the podcast award at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards.
Earlier this month, Spotify and Archewell Audio announced in a joint statement that they had decided to end the deal.
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"Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together," read the statement sent to FOX Business.
Markle's "Archetypes" was canceled by Spotify earlier this month after one season. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
The dissolution of the partnership came on the heels of the news that "Archetypes" had not been renewed for a second season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The team behind ‘Archetypes’ (remains) proud of the podcast they created at Spotify," a representative for WME told The Wall Street Journal. "Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the ‘Archetypes’ audience on another platform."
A source recently told The New York Post that Archewell Audio will not receive the full $20 million payout as the couple's company did not produce enough content for the steaming giant to fulfill the terms of the contract.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There were also reports that Markle did little work on "Archetypes," which seemed to be corroborated by senior Spotify podcast executive Bill Simmons during a recent episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast." He called both Markle and Prince Harry "f------ grifters." He also alluded to an incident he had with Harry on Zoom when they apparently brainstormed podcast ideas.