'D-grade celebrities': Meghan and Harry are NOT welcome in UK anymore, says 'Today' host Karl Stefanovic

Ita Clare Buttrose's blunt assessment of the Duchess of Sussex prompts Karl Stefanovic to rip into Meghan Markle
UPDATED SEP 5, 2022
Karl Stefanovic slammed into the Sussexes as they fly into the UK for a youth summit (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images, Karl Stefanovic/ Instagram)
Karl Stefanovic slammed into the Sussexes as they fly into the UK for a youth summit (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images, Karl Stefanovic/ Instagram)

NORTH SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: After Australian TV network chairperson Ita Clare Buttrose slammed Meghan Markle for being “deliberately provocative”, 'Today' host Karl Stefanovich came out and issued a scathing take-down of the Duchess of Sussex.

It's no secret that Karl has been brutely outspoken with his criticism of the former actress in the past. And now, recently during a live broadcast cross to Nine reporter Tracy Waugh in Manchester, where Prince Harry and his wife are due to attend a youth summit this week, he slightly misquoted ABC chair Buttrose. 

READ MORE

Prince Charles 'completely bewildered' by Harry and Meghan's 'painful' jibes at the royal family

Are William and Kate America's favorite royals now? 'Hypocrites' Harry and Meghan's star on the wane

“Ita Buttrose said they’ve turned into D-grade celebrities. That’s about right, isn’t it?” he asked Tracey Waugh.

“Well, we’ve been hearing locally here as well, guys, that some people say they’re not welcome here,” she responded. “There’s a real divide in that support for Prince Harry and Meghan, so we’ll see how tomorrow pans out.”

Before the royal couple, Prince Harry and Meghan head to Germany to mark the one-year countdown until the next Invictus Games that came shortly after Meghan sparked a media storm in an interview with The Cut magazine, the couple flew to the United Kingdom where they will attend two charity events. 

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala at Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum on November 10, 2021 in New York City.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala at Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum on November 10, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Buttrose’s blunt assessment of Meghan during an appearance on her former show Studio 10, where the topic of her controversial interview was raised last week, prompted Stefanovic’s criticism. 

Buttrose hadn't called Meghan a 'D-grade celebrity'.

“Good luck to her,” Buttrose told her former co-host Sarah Harris. “I don’t want to, be unkind, but she’s just a celebrity. There’s nothing wrong with being a celebrity, but she’s one of many – whereas once, she was a princess of the realm. [Now] she goes on about her business of being a celebrity.” 

Buttrose further pinpointed that due to their diminishing royal status, the couple was on continuously trying to “stand out in the crowd” of other celebrities.

“They don’t have the royal family to fall back on [anymore],” Buttrose said. “So they have to make every interview count. So, because of the other plans, she’s got – you know, the books, the movies, whatever – she wants to make sure she stands out in a crowd. So she makes provocative statements," she added.

RELATED TOPICS MEGHAN MARKLE KARL STEFANOVIC

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

John Oliver was bleeped out twice during his brief, 15-second Emmys acceptance speech on live television after he roasted host Nate Bargatze
Sep 15, 2025
Kevin Hart doesn't appreciate paparazzi’s question after viral video of him hosting Diddy’s party resurfaces
Apr 6, 2025
Diddy’s childhood friend Tim Patterson claims Janice Combs’s wild parties often involved pimps, homosexuals, and other adult activities
Apr 6, 2025
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson tied the knot in 1994, but she initially thought the King of Pop was a creep—and we totally get why
Apr 6, 2025
Riley Keough opens up about the Presley family curse in a candid interview while on tour for her book, 'From Here to the Great Unknown'
Apr 5, 2025
Natalie Morales hits back after her interview with Seth Meyers is removed from all platforms due to a revealing outfit
Apr 5, 2025
"Babyface, can you believe she wants me to dress like a girl?" Michael Jackson told a producer.
Apr 2, 2025
Sofia Vergara also dished out on why she doesn't ever want to play Modern Family's Gloria again
Apr 2, 2025
"It took more and more to get high, and I honestly don't know when your body decides it can't deal with it anymore," Lisa Marie Presley wrote.
Apr 1, 2025
A family member's last-minute intervention saved Michael Jackson from the 9/11 tragedy—here’s what happened
Apr 1, 2025