Meghan Markle’s latest venture, the podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, has stirred up a storm of backlash since its launch. Marketed as a platform for entrepreneurial insights and personal revelations, the podcast has instead been met with scathing reviews from major outlets like The Telegraph, The Standard, The Guardian, The Times, Express, and i Paper. Many have described it as shallow, overly curated, and a missed opportunity to deliver meaningful content—earning it a measly two-star rating from multiple critics.
The podcast features Meghan in conversation with Whitney Wolfe Herd, the 35-year-old founder of Bumble and a key player in Tinder’s early success. Listeners tuned in expecting Wolfe Herd to share her entrepreneurial wisdom, but reviewers quickly pointed out that Meghan frequently shifted the focus to her own experiences. This left many fans disappointed, craving the business advice and insights they’d hoped for from such an accomplished guest.
In the episode, Meghan opens up about a frightening medical scare following childbirth, tying it to her promotion of the new Lemonada Media show. She paired the launch with nostalgic Instagram posts of herself as a young girl selling cookies—a nod to her entrepreneurial roots. During their chat, both Meghan and Wolfe Herd bond over their shared struggles with postpartum preeclampsia, a dangerous condition marked by high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine. Wolfe Herd calls it a “truly life-or-death” ordeal, underscoring the seriousness of their experiences.
However, critics weren’t impressed. Telegraph TV critic Chris Bennion slammed the podcast as “an inane stream of mindless aphorisms” devoid of real confessions or depth. He expressed frustration that Wolfe Herd, with her impressive track record, barely scratched the surface of her business journey. Instead, the discussion leaned heavily on self-care clichés and vague nods to self-love—failing to deliver the substance listeners expected.
The Guardian’s pop culture writer Rachel Aroesti took it a step further, calling the podcast “sycophantic” and “stomach-turning.” She noted that whenever Wolfe Herd began to share her story, Meghan rarely reciprocated with her own vulnerabilities. Aroesti argued that this guardedness undermined the personal connection that makes podcasts so appealing, leaving the conversation feeling one-sided and superficial. She also criticized the lack of practical business advice, likening it to a casual chat between friends rather than a public-facing show.
India Block from The Standard observed a dynamic where Wolfe Herd seemed to “gentle parent” Meghan through the exchange. Block suggested that Meghan, who shuttered her lifestyle blog The Tig in 2017 before marrying Prince Harry, appears stuck in time. Still, she praised Meghan’s interviewing skills—her ability to steer conversations, reveal glimpses of vulnerability, and put guests at ease—though it wasn’t enough to salvage the podcast’s reputation.
Royal reporter Hani Shawthi from Express echoed the sentiment, wishing Wolfe Herd had delved into her challenges and lessons learned rather than chatting about social outings with Meghan over drinks. Shawthi pointed out that Meghan dominated the narrative from the start, crafting an overly polished tone that drowned out Wolfe Herd’s potential contributions.
Charlie Gowen-Zglinton of The Times was equally unimpressed, noting that Meghan missed chances to probe Wolfe Herd about her successful ventures. After listening for nearly nine minutes, Gowen-Zglinton finally heard a brief mention of business—only for Meghan to interrupt and steer the talk elsewhere. Similarly, i Paper’s chief culture writer Sarah Carson dismissed the podcast as “45 minutes of platitudes.” She singled out Meghan’s relatable quip about packaging keeping her up at night, arguing it set a superficial tone focused on aesthetics rather than substance. The podcast’s release coincided with Prince Harry’s UK visit and King Charles’ three-state trip to Italy with Queen Camilla, adding extra buzz to its debut. Recorded in February, the episode includes Meghan reflecting on her and Wolfe Herd’s parallel postpartum struggles. “We both had very similar experiences, though we didn’t know each other at the time, with postpartum and preeclampsia,” Meghan shared, though she didn’t specify whether this followed the birth of her son, Prince Archie, or daughter, Princess Lilibet. Wolfe Herd, a mother of two sons, reinforced the gravity of preeclampsia, calling it a “terrifying” ordeal. She also gushed about Meghan’s poise after Archie’s birth, recalling, “I’ll never forget the image of you after you delivered Archie, and the whole world was waiting for his debut.” She marveled at Meghan’s composure, joking that she could barely handle a doorbell delivery in her robe—a light moment that drew laughs from Meghan. Despite its aim to explore entrepreneurship and personal growth, Confessions of a Female Founder has left critics and Spotify fans underwhelmed. With its focus on surface-level anecdotes over actionable insights, the podcast has sparked widespread disappointment—proving that even Meghan’s star power couldn’t shield it from a barrage of two-star reviews and biting critiques.
