Celebrities react to Meghan and Prince Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey
Stars showed their support for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in the wake of the bombshell, exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on Sunday on CBS. It was the first one she and her husband, Prince Harry, had given since they stepped away from their official royal duties last year.
Harry and Meghan spent lots of time giving their side of many of the tabloid stories that have circulated about them since they got together.
When Oprah asked Meghan if she was concerned about how the royal family would react to the interview, the Duchess replied, "I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that 'The Firm' (royal family) is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us. And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, there's a lot that's been lost already."
Meghan and Harry gave their views about the drama behind their royal exit and questions they said came up about "how dark" their baby's skin tone would be. Meghan also spoke of having suicidal thoughts, and she and Harry offered their takes on how they were treated by members of the royal family.
After the interview, tennis legend Serena Williams tweeted a message of support for the Duchess of Sussex saying, "Meghan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life — and leads by example — with empathy and compassion. She teaches me every day what it means to truly be noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she's experienced."
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) March 8, 2021
Poet Amanda Gorman tweeted her thoughts on the interview. She wrote, "Meghan was the Crown's greatest opportunity for change, regeneration, and reconciliation in a new era. They didn't just maltreat her light — they missed out on it."
Other celebrities, activists and entertainers like Jada Pinkett Smith, Leslie Jordan and Bernice King were moved to speak up, backing the couple. Some even created jokes directed at the monarchy.
Royalty is not a shield from the devastation and despair of racism. #MeghanMarkle
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) March 8, 2021
Of every shocking element of the way Harry and Meghan and Archie were treated by "the firm," the idea that they would be stripped of security at a time when they were under siege with racist death threats is simply monstrous.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) March 8, 2021
Meghan has also received support from stars like Gabrielle Union, Chance the Rapper and Halle Berry, who came forward to defend her on Thursday against allegations of bullying.
The Times of London newspaper reported that Meghan faces allegations of bullying staff at the royal household during her time at Kensington Palace. The palace says it will investigate the allegations, but a spokesperson for Meghan and Harry called them a "calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation."