John Stewart’s comeback to *The Daily Show* on February 18, 2025, was nothing short of electrifying. The comedian delivered a scathing takedown of Prince Harry, dubbing him the “Duke of Nothing” in a segment that left audiences stunned and social media buzzing. Stewart didn’t hold back, targeting not just Harry’s fading royal relevance but also the crumbling facade of his post-royal life. However, the real target of Stewart’s biting wit was Meghan Markle, whose influence over Harry has long been a source of controversy. Stewart’s commentary painted her not as a victim but as a calculated figure whose ambitions have dragged Harry into a vortex of irrelevance—and the facts seem to back him up.
Stewart’s critique was razor-sharp, particularly when he took aim at Meghan’s latest venture: a lifestyle brand called *As Ever*. Launched with much fanfare, the brand promised a return to Meghan’s pre-royal blogging days with *The Tig*, offering artisanal elegance—think $200 jars of jam and handwoven dog beds. But critics, including Stewart, see it as little more than a shameless cash grab. During the February 23rd episode, Stewart quipped, “*As Ever* sounds less like a brand and more like something you mutter under your breath when your husband won’t stop whining about his family.”
The numbers don’t lie. Meghan’s ventures, from the underwhelming Netflix deal to the questionable financial transparency of the Archewell Foundation, suggest a pattern of overhyped promises and underwhelming results. Stewart didn’t shy away from pointing out that Meghan’s influence has been a driving force behind Harry’s fall from grace. Once a decorated soldier and the monarchy’s charming rebel, Harry now appears adrift, clinging to a narrative of victimhood that Stewart gleefully dismantled.
The couple’s 2020 exit from royal duties was marketed as a quest for freedom, but five years later, their output—memoirs, Oprah tell-alls, and a short-lived Spotify podcast—reeks of desperation. Stewart mocked Harry’s irrelevance, noting, “He’s not a prince, not a soldier—just a guy Meghan dragged to Montecito to sell jam.” Official records show that Archewell donations plummeted in 2024, with high staff turnover hinting at chaos behind the scenes. Meghan’s insistence on controlling the narrative, from staged paparazzi shots to meticulously curated Instagram posts, has turned Harry into little more than a prop in her one-woman show.
Public patience with the couple is wearing thin, and Stewart’s roast tapped into that simmering resentment. Meghan’s attempts to balance her roles as a Hollywood star and a wronged duchess have backfired spectacularly. Early 2025 polls show her UK approval rating at a dismal 19%, with Harry’s not far ahead at 23%. Stewart’s genius lay in voicing what many have been thinking: Meghan’s ambition isn’t about empowerment—it’s about exploitation. As Stewart put it, “Harry’s not the prince anymore; he’s Meghan’s plus one.”
With *The Daily Show* shining a merciless spotlight on the couple, it’s clear that their royal renegade act is unraveling. Meghan’s role as the antagonist in this saga is now cemented—not in fiction, but in fact. Stewart’s brutal takedown wasn’t just comedy; it was a reflection of a growing public sentiment that the Sussexes’ carefully crafted narrative is falling apart. And as the world watches, one thing is certain: Meghan and Harry’s Hollywood fairy tale is looking more like a cautionary tale.
