Meghan Markle is opening up about her time on the game show Deal or No Deal.
On Tuesday morning, Spotify released the latest episode of the Duchess ofSussex’s podcast, Archetypes . To start the show, Meghan said she wasrecently flipping through the channels on TV — “this, by the way, is a raritywhen you have two children under the age of four,” she said, referring to sonArchie Harrison, 3, and daughter Lilibet Diana, 1 — and caught the show Dealor No Deal on which she used to be a “briefcase girl” in 2006.
“This brought back a lot of memories,” Meghan, 41, said.
She recalled that while Deal or No Deal wasn’t so much about acting, whichshe was pursuing, she was grateful to have a job to pay bills while she wasauditioning.
“I had also studied international relations in college, and there were times Iwas on set at Deal or No Deal and thinking back to my time working as anintern at the US Embassy in Argentina in Buenos Aires and being in themotorcade with the security of treasury at the time and being valuedspecifically for my brain. Here, I was being valued for something quite theopposite.”
Paris Hilton; Meghan Marklea
Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images; Trae Patton/NBCU PhotoBank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Paris Hilton; Meghan Marklea
The former suits actress said that before tapings of the show, the modelswould line up for different stations: lashes, extensions, bra padding. Thewomen were also given spray tan vouchers every week.
“There was a very cookie-cutter idea of precisely what we should look like.It was solely about beauty — and not necessarily about brains,” Meghan said.
“When I look back at that time, I’ll never forget this one detail — becausemoments before we’d get on stage, there was a woman who ran the show and she’dbe there backstage, and I can still hear her She couldn’t properly pronouncemy last name at the time and I knew who she was talking to because she’d go,’Markle, suck it in! Markle, suck it in!’ “
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The Duchess of Sussex said she eventually quit the show: “I was thankful forthe job, but not for how it made me feel, which was not smart. And by the way,I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn’t thefocus of why we were there. I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomachknowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage.looks and little substance, and that’s how it felt for me at the time — beingreduced to this specific archetype.”
Meghan interviewed Paris Hilton about the stereotype of “bimbos.”
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Paris said when she starred alongside Nicole Richie on the reality show TheSimple Life , producers said they wanted Nicole to be “the troublemaker” andParis to be “the rich, dumb blonde.” The heiress said she played into thecharacter both on the show and in interviews.
“So, I almost got like stuck and lost in the character where I, at somepoints, it was like the lines got blurred or I, it’s like, I forgot who Iwas,” Paris, 41, said. “And I don’t know, makes me sad because I used to besuch a free spirit, and I was just so like, I don’t know, just like, not soclosed off.”
Paris — who described herself as “shy,” “a tomboy” and “an undercover nerd” inthe podcast — is now an advocate against child abuse, particularly atresidential schools like the abusive one she attended as a teenager.
“Now I’m pushing for federal legislation and going to DC and yeah, it’s justbeen so empowering. Just really turn my pain into a purpose,” the star said.”And I almost think that maybe God made me go through this and gave me thisspecial gift so that one day I could be the hero that I needed when I was alittle girl and help save these children from having to go through the torturethat myself and so many others went through.”
NEW YORK – AUGUST 29: Socialite Paris Hilton arrives at the 2002 MTV VideoMusic Awards at Radio City Music Hall August 29, 2002 in New York City. (Photoby Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
Mark Mainz/Getty Paris Hilton in 2002
The episode is the sixth to drop so far, following a month-long pause afterthe death of Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 8. In the first episode back, Meghanwelcomed Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling to break down the trope of “Dragon Lady”and the “toxic” stereotypes that many women of Asian descent are forced tonavigate.
Last week, the Duchess of Sussex spoke with Constance Wu, comedian and writerJenny Slate and activist and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone for aconversation titled “The Decoding of Crazy.”
Harry Duke of Sussex and Meghan Duchess of Sussex attend Trooping The Colour
Mike Marsland/WireImage
During her chat with Deepika, Meghan described how her husband, Prince Harry,found her a referral to a mental health professional when she was at her”worst point.”
“I mean, I think at my worst point, being finally connected to someone that,you know, my husband had found a referral for me to call. And I called thiswoman,” Meghan said. “She didn’t know I was even calling her. And she waschecking out at the grocery store. I could hear the little beep, beep, and Iwas like, “Hi,” and I’m introducing myself and that you can literally you’regoing, wait, sorry. I’m just. Who is this? Um, and saying I need help. And shecould hear the dire state that I was in.”
Meghan continued, “But I think it’s for all of us to be really honest aboutwhat it is that you need and to not be afraid to make peace with that, to askfor it.”
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Meghan and Harry, 38, first announced a “multi-year partnership” betweenSpotify and their production company Archewell Audio in 2020. According to apreviously shared press release, Archetypes intends to “investigate thelabels that try to hold women back.
Speaking with historians and experts, Meghan will “uncover the origin of thesestereotypes and have uncensored conversations with women who know all too wellhow these typecasts shape narratives.”