Meghan, Duchess of Sussex stopped watching Real Housewives because of own 'drama'
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex stopped watching 'Real Housewives' because she had enough "drama" in her own life.
The 41-year-old former actress welcomed Andy Cohen as one of the guests on the latest episode of her 'Archetypes' podcast, 'Man-ifesting a Cultural Shift', and she admitted she was a "huge fan" of his talk show 'Watch What Happens Live' and was upset she'd never got to be a guest when working on 'Suits' because she was so obsessed with his Bravo reality TV franchise at the time.
She said: "I was so eager to be on your show because I was such a 'Housewives' fan at the time and I just couldn't get booked, Andy!"
Andy joked not having the duchess on the programme was the "biggest blunder in the 13 years of the show", before asking if she was still a fan of 'The Real Housewives', which he executive produces.
Meghan admitted: "Well, I will tell you the truth. I stopped watching 'The Housewives' when my life had its own level of drama that I stopped craving [other people's].
"I get why it was such a huge, huge part of pop culture. And when it began, because you began with Orange County and I'm from California, at least it felt remotely like a world that I knew, but still felt so foreign.
"But I mean, I would say almost every one of my friends still watches it and I go, 'Why are you watching that? There's so much drama!' And it's because it's entertainment. It's entertaining to them. And it's also I think it's so familiar because it's been on for so long. You've created an empire."
Andy and Meghan - who was also joined on the show by Trevor Noah and Judd Apatow - then joked about rumours the duchess had planned to join the series when she and her husband Prince Harry stepped down from royal duties and moved to California.
Andy said: "And then what did you think? Because it had to have bubbled up to you somewhere that you moved to the States and everyone is like, oh, she should join the 'Beverly Hills Housewives'. I'm like, she ain't joining the 'Beverly Hills Housewives', everybody."
Meghan laughed: "I never heard that!"
Andy continued: "She has a full plate! She's Meghan Markle! You never heard that? Good. Well, I never even tried to stoke the fire because I was like, 'Folks, that's not happening.' "
Meghan then jokingly interjected: "You mean really that this is my audition for 'Real Housewives of Montecito'? Is this the moment?"
But Andy insisted there would be no need for Meghan - who has children Archie, three, and 17-month-old Lili with Harry - to audition.
He added: "We'll build the show around you. How about that?"
Meghan replied: "There will be no reality show. But I think it's so funny. No, I never heard that. I never heard about the Beverly Hills of it all."
The podcaster admitted she felt "conflicted" by the success of the 'Real Housewives' franchise because of the ideas of women it promotes.
She said in a voiceover: "Because as we grapple this season with what archetypes are and how limiting they are, on the flip side of that, is are we exploring giving women the space and allowance to be exactly who they are? As complicated, layered, challenging, funny, silly, etc.
"Or, in a franchise like 'Housewives', are we fueling the fire of archetypes by creating caricatures of women?"
