Oprah Winfrey’s bombshell interview with Meghan and Harry will earn host up to $9M, Sussexes not getting paid
Oprah Winfrey is reportedly cashing in a lot because of her explosive interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. It has been said the host has been offered up to $9 million from CBS for her tell-all with the Sussexes, who are expected to reveal their reason behind stepping down from senior royal duties and shifting to the US for an independent life. A report claimed that Winfrey's production company Harpo Productions has received between $7 million and $9 million from CBS as license fees for getting the rights of the bombshell interview.
Speculations are that the no-holds-barred sit down with Meghan and Harry, scheduled to be aired on March 7, will generate a lot of revenue as millions of people around the world are expected to watch it while tensions between the pair and Buckingham Palace continue. A recent teaser of the upcoming interview showed the former actress accusing the royals of “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and the Duke of Sussex. She also referred to her in-laws’ family as ‘The Firm’ - a darker term that hints at a negative side to the House of Windsor.
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When Winfrey asked Meghan, "How do you feel about the Palace hearing you speak your truth today?" She responded, “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 is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us. And, if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, I... there is a lot that has been lost already.”
This came amid reports that Buckingham Palace has launched an investigation into claims reported in The Times that because of Meghan several royal aides were forced to quit their job. The mother-of-one has, however, refuted such claims and her lawyer accused the palace of presenting “a wholly false narrative” before the release of the interview. The statement of the lawyer “deeply upset" the palace as a source said, “It is absolutely untrue that the Palace has been peddling disinformation or conducting any kind of campaign ahead of the interview. The Palace has not got involved. It has clearly not been coming from us. They assumed that the men in grey suits were obsessed with destroying them.”
Meanwhile, the interview has received a fair share of criticism even before its release. Many have demanded to postpone the airdate since Prince Philip has been admitted to hospital for around two weeks and has received treatment for infections and for his heart condition. But CBS did not agree with the demands and confirmed the two-hour special will be released as decided. Also, ITV will air it, which is supposed to be a £1M ($1.38M) deal.
Though Winfrey is getting a whopping amount of money for the show, the soon-to-be parents of a second child are not getting any monetary compensation for it, nor are they receiving a financial donation for a charity of their choice, according to their representatives. But according to experts, the couple won’t face any kind of financial loss as the hype around the interview will help them achieve the $1 billion brand they are seeking to build in the US. As per sources, Meghan and Harry have already signed a $150 million deal with Netflix after leaving the palace in January 2020 for a financially independent life on the other side of the sea.