'Deadbeats': Harry and Meghan mocked for sticking with $25M Spotify deal despite Joe Rogan row
Meghan Markle and Harry, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, are being called names on US talk shows over their "Covid misinformation" comments about the Joe Rogan podcast controversy. The criticism comes amid speculation the couple may ditch their $25 million Spotify deal because of fellow podcaster Joe Rogan, reports Mirror but many are wondering if they will really choose principles over money as "grifters".
Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson blasted the former royals, saying, "That annoying fake duchess from LA and her brain-dead husband threatened to walk unless Spotify muzzled Joe Rogan. But they're not going anywhere. These two grifters have a $25 million deal with Spotify for essentially no work. So far, we believe they have produced just over 30 minutes of content. That means these two have been paid about a million dollars for each minute of talking they've done. That's a good gig. It's too good to leave."
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Host Greg Gutfeld fumed about Meghan and Harry on 'The Five' saying, "They're a bunch of deadbeats." The guest of the episode, retired New York judge Jeanine Pirro, called the couple "pathetic" and "irrelevant". He added, "In America, nobody cares what you think."
Meghan and Harry signed a deal with Spotify to host and produce podcasts, estimated to be worth around 25 million dollars, in late 2020. Following the Joe Rogan controversy, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex expressed their concerns to the streaming platform over the spread of Covid misinformation, but said they will continue to work with Spotify.
"We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does," a spokesperson for the Duchess and Duke said. The couple faced criticism for this decision as a few users labeled them "hypocrites" on social media. Candace Owens, Piers Morgan and Tom Fitton slammed the duo in their tweets.
Royal expert Richard Eden commented, "For years they've gone on about the dangers of misinformation, it's become a real pet cause of theirs. But Harry and Meghan have signed a very lucrative deal with Spotify that's meant to be worth £18m. So between their principles and money, it's always a question of which they will go for, and it seems they've gone for the money." He added: "They put out a rather sort of mealy-mouthed statement about the dangers of misinformation, but they've made clear they're sticking with Spotify. So it looks like sort of Joe Rogan's won really."