Meghan Markle's Debut Podcast Blasted As 'Stomach-Turning' After Duchess Received Scathing Criticism for 'Narcissistic' Netflix Series — As Royal's Journey to Make Waves in Hollywood Crumbles
Meghan Markle's new podcast dropped its debut episode, and the reviews have been less than favorable.
April 8 2025, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
The reviews are in – and Meghan Markle's podcast has been labeled a full-blown flop.
With its debut episode released on Tuesday, RadarOnline.com can reveal critics wasted no time slamming the Duchess of Sussex's brand-new audio show, with some even calling it "stomach-turning" – just weeks after her Netflix show was blasted all the same.
The Duchess of Sussex released her first episode on Tuesday, where she talked with guest and Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd.
Markle's hot new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, has been met with a less-than lukewarm reception – earning only two stars from outlets like The Telegraph, Standard, and The Guardian.
The Times, Express, and i Paper, along with curious listeners, also delivered scathing reviews of their own.
Markle's podcast was met with two star reviews from several outlets.
One major complaint was that listeners likely expected to hear valuable "wisdom" from Markle's guest, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd – but instead, they got little of that as the former actress continuously directed conversations back to her own experiences.
The first episode featured Markle sharing a "huge medical scare" she experienced after giving birth, revealing she and Wolfe Herd both suffered from postpartum preeclampsia.
While the episode touched on important topics like self-care and postpartum health, critic Chris Bennion slammed the show for its lack of depth – calling it an "inane stream of mindless aphorisms" with no real confessions or insights.
He added: "Imagine the drive, the talent, the decisions and sheer bloody ruthlessness it must take to achieve what she has. We get none of it.
"In this perfumed echo chamber, the best we get is a sense that Wolfe Herd didn't love school and that she wishes she hadn't worked so hard."
Fellow critic Rachel Aroesti from The Guardian criticized the show as "sycophantic" and "stomach-turning," with Markle rarely sharing personal details despite encouraging guests to open up.
She added: "It's hardly a manual of specific, constructive business advice; it's simply an effusive chinwag between two like-minded pals that may as well have taken place behind a deluxe set of closed doors."
Other reviewers, like India Block from The Standard, noted how the royal's style felt outdated and too focused on her own experiences rather than offering valuable insights.
Some, like Hanisha Sethi from the Express, felt the podcast veered away from meaningful conversations and focused too much on casual chats and superficial topics.
The royal launched her podcast just weeks after releasing her new kitchen series on Netflix.
She explained: "While this may stem from a desire to connect or relate, it can also overshadow others' contributions."
Despite praise for Markle's interviewing skills, critics agreed the podcast lacked substance and failed to deliver the expected business advice.
Similarly, fans weren't too quick to hype up the former Suits star on her newest endeavor – with some listeners slamming the podcast as "boring" and "predictable" in the comments section of a YouTube video.
Others believed the wife of Prince Harry appeared to be "overacting" in the episode.
Markle's latest project follows the release of her much-criticized Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. The kitchen show was slammed by critics, with The Guardian calling it a "gormless lifestyle filler" and The Telegraph describing it as an "exercise in narcissism."
Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown also claimed Markle "missed the mark" with the cooking series, leading her to say the 43-year-old has an "unerring instinct for getting it wrong."
For what she hopes to achieve with her podcast, the Duchess told the New York Times: "I hope Confessions of a Female Founder reminds listeners they're not alone.
"These are honest conversations with women who've built from the ground up, faced challenges and kept going."
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Markle was equally criticized for her cooking show, with some saying she 'missed the mark.'
The eight-part podcast series will focus on Markle's "As Ever" brand, which now sells products like jam, herbal teas, and crepe mix.
The show is part of a deal with Lemonada Media, following her 2022 Spotify series Archetypes about female stereotypes. Archetypes was part of the Sussexes' Spotify deal, which ended after one season.
Markle is reportedly "on a bizarre mission to make herself the most-liked royal' in the U.S. – but her ties to Hollywood and marriage have seemingly taken a massive hit along the way.
