EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle Slammed for 'Hypocritically Promoting the World's Worst Trad Wife Stereotypes' on Christmas Netflix Show
Critics have accused Meghan Markle of promoting 'trad wife' stereotypes on her Netflix Christmas show.
Dec. 18 2025, Published 7:29 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle is facing yet more criticism after the release of her new Netflix Christmas special, with critics now saying it casts the Duchess of Sussex in an unexpectedly "trad wife" domestic role, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The show features the 44-year-old engaging in a string of meticulously choreographed household activities, prompting debate over whether the show reinforces "Stepford wife" stereotypes rather than challenging them.
Choreographed Domesticity in Montecito
Meghan Markle released a Netflix Christmas special filmed at her Montecito home.
Meghan's soppy festive program shows her arranging tables, cooking, hosting friends and family and designing homemade Christmas crackers and advent calendars.
Critics argue such displays clash with her longstanding public persona as a "feminist" and anti-race campaigner.
A Curated Idyll for the Streaming Giant
The show portrayed Meghan hosting, cooking, and crafting festive decorations.
Netflix's decision to spotlight the duchess' domesticity comes after the streaming giant's 2022 documentary Harry & Meghan, which followed the couple's post-royal life.
That series, watched in over 28.7 million households in its first four days, offered intimate glimpses of the pair but largely avoided controversy.
Meghan's show With Love, Meghan, by contrast, seems deliberately curated to showcase a domestic idyll.
Challenging the Feminist Image
Harry makes an appearance in Markle's Netflix series.
"It's not only Meghan who is falling into this trap – there's a broader trend of influencers and celebrities showing highly curated domestic 'traditional wife,' or 'trad wife,' lives online.
"But when someone with her profile does it, it comes across as reinforcing outdated gender roles rather than offering inspiration.
"To many feminists, the trad wife persona is a reinforcement and normalization of one of the world's worst stereotypes about females – and for Meghan to promote it really is among some of the world's worst examples of hypocrisy," a critic said.
Public Persona VS Private Reality
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The show sparked renewed backlash over Meghan’s public image and choices.
Housewife influencers, such as Nara Smith and Hannah Neeleman, host social media-worthy dinner parties and are now becoming a status symbol among younger millennials.
Meghan's series has also featured appearances from her friends and colleagues since it started, including her former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer and Mindy Kaling, alongside food personalities such as chef Roy Choi and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, who is credited with pioneering the farm-to-table movement.
An anonymous source involved with the show said: "The intention was to highlight Meghan connecting with friends and family traditions, creating a cozy, welcoming home. However, in doing so, it unintentionally evokes the type of imagery critics describe as 'trad wife'."
Some viewers have argued the show's aesthetic – honey-hued kitchens, hand-labeled candles and carefully arranged festive décor – could also be misinterpreted as promoting outdated gender expectations.
One media analyst said: "The irony is that Meghan has long positioned herself as a progressive figure. Now she's showcasing a highly domestic, curated lifestyle, which is bound to provoke debate and justifiable criticism."
Another media expert said: "Meghan's show blends tradition with modern celebrity culture. Some will appreciate the warmth and attention to detail, while others will see it as reinforcing outdated domestic stereotypes."
Meghan has also recently come under fire for her continued estrangement from her former lighting director father Thomas Markle Sr., 81.
She recently reached out to him by sending him a letter after he had a leg amputated in an emergency operation in which surgeons also tackled a potentially deadly blood clot.
But insiders say her portrayal of her cozy family Christmas on her latest Netflix shows "jars" with her ongoing estrangement from the man who funded her education and acting lessons, which saw her land her role on Suits.
One source said: "On the one hand, Meghan parades around on TV spouting about how to create a picture-perfect family Christmas. On the other, she clearly has no intention of a face-to-face meeting with her sick dad, who is now struggling through the process of recovering from his leg amputation. Her hypocrisy is jaw-dropping."
