MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Meghan Markle won't cast Michelle Obama in Netflix series after birthday snub: Report

A royal commentator claimed this was because Meghan Markle and Prince Harry 'didn't get an invite to that spectacular 60th birthday'

A little more than a month later, the debacle over the guest list at former President Barack Obama’s birthday bash at Martha’s Vineyard may still be causing ripples. As per reports, Duchess of Sussex Meghan’s alleged plans of casting former First Lady Michelle Obama in her new animated series may have fallen through. 

Back in July, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set up their second project at Netflix as part of their company Archewell Productions’ overall deal with the streamer. As per The Hollywood Reporter, ‘Pearl’, created by Meghan, is a family-focused animated series that revolves around the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by influential women in history. 

RELATED ARTICLES

Did Meghan Markle tip off paparazzi? Photographer's remark piques curiosity: ‘She has media on speed dial’

Meghan Markle slammed as 'impudent and vulgar' by Piers Morgan's wife Celia Walden

Meghan was reported to also be executive producing alongside David Furnish, Carolyn Soper, Emmy-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus, and Dan Cogan (Icarus). Amanda Rynda is reported to be the showrunner. “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” said Meghan at the time. “I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix, and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history. David Furnish and I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it today.”

As per a new report in the Express, plans to cast the former first lady have gone “through the pan,” after the Sussexes were omitted from the guest list of Barack Obama's birthday party. A royal commentator claimed that the duchess is keen to include "big voice-over names" for the upcoming project, and has now turned her attention to Oprah Winfrey — a friend of the Sussexes who interviewed them earlier this year.

As per the tabloid, royal commentator Neil Sean claimed, "What they really hope to do is get big voice-over names. Now Michelle Obama was one that Meghan Markle was very keen to sign up but that went through the pan when they didn't get an invite to that spectacular 60th birthday for the former president. I'm not saying Michelle's now on the back burner but let's put it this way, the present hasn't been delivered yet and I kid you not."

The former US president’s 60th birthday saw several “un-vites” after this large guest list was criticized in the wake of the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Larry David, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien were reportedly cut from the list. As were several others. But it’s unclear if the duke and duchess of Sussex were in the original list at all.

Earlier, royal commentator Camilla Tominey had suggested that their omission from the guest list may have been deliberate. "It arguably will not have gone down particularly well with a couple that has always put 'family first' to see Harry and Meghan being so openly critical of their royal relatives during their Oprah interview in March," Tominey said.

The commentator had suggested that the Sussexes’ tell-all interview in March did not sit well with the Obamas, who have maintained a close and supportive relationship with the Queen, as well as Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. "When the Obamas returned to the UK in 2016, they made a point of popping into Kensington Palace, where they were introduced to a then three-year-old Prince George, ready for bed in his dressing-gown, before sitting down to dinner with William, Kate, and Harry," Tominey said. "Last October, the former president made a point of supporting Prince William's newly launched Earthshot Prize."

Neil Sean suggested, "Now they're casting their eyes around to see who else they could really connect with and one of the ideas would be their friend, for now, loosely speaking, the chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.”

Online, there were mixed reactions. One person tweeted, “Jokes on you if you think Michelle Obama will side with the likes of William, Kate and their tabloid friends who attacked a woman of color constantly Face with tears of joy. Michelle and Obama are top figures who will rather side with minorities than elites in who might degrade their daughters.” They also said, “Also there is no proof that Obama and Michelle have rift with H&M. Old bitter derangers and the tabloids keep creating lies as part of their hate campaign for Meghan who live rent-free in their heads.”

Another tweet read, “Are you seriously using hints as valid facts to claim Michelle Obama disliked Meghan? You are free to express your dislike of Meghan but please don't use people as tools. @MichelleObama has gone overcome too many hardships to be used to disparage another woman.”