The recent absence of Meghan Markle alongside Oprah Winfrey has sparked curiosity about their relationship. Rumors suggest that Meghan herself, through a well-connected source, is planning a media blitz to enhance her popularity in America. Dubbed the "Summer of Love" campaign, its goal is to rejuvenate her waning public appeal. However, questions arise regarding the sincerity of such sentiments, given strained familial ties.
Suggestions have been made for Meghan to secure trademarks before extensive promotion, with the objective of reshaping public perception and driving sales for a brand that has struggled to gain traction. Despite allegedly extending invitations to Oprah Winfrey for TV appearances and podcasts, Meghan's efforts have been met with disinterest from the media mogul. Consequently, Meghan's hopes hinge on Oprah's participation to pitch shows to television networks, albeit with no response yet.
It's quite odd that Oprah's infamous interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was pulled just 30 days after it aired. It's virtually impossible to find it legally anywhere now. With so much money involved, why would they decide to hide it? Back in 2019, tensions were rising between the Sussexes and the royal family. In May, Archie was born, and Meghan wanted an exclusive interview. The problem was she didn't want a British interviewer; she wanted Gayle King, as reported by The Daily Mail.
This made sense because Meghan must have realized her popularity in the UK was declining, but she still had a chance in the United States. This waning popularity might have been due to rumors about the Sussexes and the Cambridges not getting along. Oprah, being a close friend of Gayle, must have been aware of this but still landed the exclusive, which aired in March 2021. But why did the interview disappear after 30 days?
The official statement from Harpo Productions, Oprah's company, is rather absurd. They claimed it was intended to be a live television event and not available on streaming services other than CBS's website in the US and ITV in the UK. Having it as a live event on major broadcast networks made sense to give it gravitas and importance, especially since it was about the Sussexes.
The live broadcast made sense for CBS as a primetime special, even though it was pre-recorded and edited. Why didn't Harpo Productions sell the streaming rights after the interview? CBS paid between $7.9 million to air it, and ITV in the UK paid $1.4 million. CBS charged $325,000 for 30 seconds of advertising space. Clearly, there was a lot of money to be made, and Oprah wasn't doing this for art's sake. She has a net worth of $2.6 billion because she knows how to make money.
Oprah knew this interview would be a hit and make waves worldwide. Selling the streaming rights could have made her even more money. So why the claim that she was unaware of the interview's impact? Gayle King stated that she had to notify Oprah about the interview blowing up, claiming Oprah was sitting on a back porch reading a book. It's hard to believe that a media mogul like Oprah didn't anticipate the world's reaction.
There has to be a good reason for breaking this logic. Oprah values credibility more than money. For her, credibility is crucial for a legacy. Breaking credibility could damage a legacy, especially when a mistake is seen by millions. The Harry and Meghan interview contained lies that could have been easily disproven if Oprah had done her due diligence. Oprah read the interview, and Meghan played a victim role convincingly.
Oprah likely thought that she was uncovering the truth about the British monarchy's evils. Oprah probably didn't reach out to Kensington Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, or anyone to verify the Sussexes' claims. The only reason the most popular interview of 2021 was deleted is that Oprah realized it threatened credibility and legacy. This proves you should take Harry and Meghan's statements with a grain, or rather a boulder, of salt.
