In a razor-sharp return to its satirical roots, South Park has set its sights on Meghan Markle once again, delivering a merciless takedown in its latest episode. The iconic animated series pulls no punches, targeting Markle’s failed podcast endeavors and her much-ridiculed lifestyle brand with biting humor. What Markle once pitched as a path to empowerment and healing is now portrayed as a shallow publicity stunt unraveling before the public’s eyes. South Park isn’t just poking fun—it’s laying bare the cracks in her carefully crafted image.
The episode, watched by millions, introduces cartoon versions of Meghan and Prince Harry, thinly disguised as the “Prince and Princess of Canada,” a recurring jab at the royal couple. In one particularly ruthless scene, Meghan’s animated counterpart unveils a so-called authentic lifestyle brand packed with overpriced candles, mindfulness journals, and motivational buzzwords. Behind the facade, she’s shown snapping at her team and chasing clout through brand deals. The parody mirrors growing real-world skepticism toward Markle’s ventures, which critics have called disconnected, inconsistent, and driven by opportunism.
One of the episode’s most brutal moments takes aim at Markle’s now-defunct Spotify podcast, Archetypes. The show depicts a self-obsessed podcast so dull that even her cartoon husband dozes off during recordings. This echoes real-life critiques of Archetypes, which promised to unpack “labels that hold women back” but fizzled out after just 12 episodes despite a $20 million Spotify deal. Reports of Markle being challenging to work with and disengaged from content creation didn’t help. Spotify’s Bill Simmons even labeled her and Harry “grifters” after the deal collapsed—a sentiment South Park gleefully amplifies.
The timing of the episode couldn’t sting more for Markle, who recently teased her new venture, American Riviera Orchard. Already dubbed by skeptics as a wannabe Goop, the brand’s glossy launch video—complete with staged flower-picking and a showroom-like kitchen—drew flak for feeling performative. Critics noted the lack of a clear mission or product details, accusing Markle of selling an image rather than a lifestyle. South Park leans into this, mocking her with a line of absurdly priced jams branded with slogans like “empower your soul.” The cartoon Meghan demands her followers “feel her pain” while barking orders at staff, hitting uncomfortably close to the public’s growing fatigue with her narrative.
South Park’s roast isn’t just mean-spirited comedy—it’s a reflection of shifting public sentiment. Markle’s journey from royal rebel to polarizing figure has been marked by contradictions: pleas for privacy paired with splashy Netflix specials, tell-all interviews, and now a polished pivot to lifestyle guru. Her actions often clash with the authenticity she claims to embody. The episode’s gut-punch ending drives this home: after a botched rebrand, cartoon Meghan resorts to televised tears, only for the scene to cut to an ad for her “luxury crying retreats.” It’s a scathing nod to the perception that everything—her emotions, her products—is packaged for profit.
With South Park’s long tradition of exposing hypocrisy, this portrayal feels less like exaggeration and more like a spotlight on the chaos behind Markle’s curated persona. The episode doesn’t just mock—it questions whether there’s anything genuine left in the Duchess’s ever-evolving brand.
