Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's quest for Hollywood success may have hit a dead end, as their former friend Oprah Winfrey is reportedly not interested in a second interview with the couple, preferring to stay out of royal drama.
Since moving to California, the Duchess of Sussex has sought to return to screens. In March 2021, she gave a tell-all interview to Oprah, describing life in Britain with the Royal Family as "unsurvivable." She later signed a Netflix deal for a lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, and made a guest appearance on MasterChef Australia during a four-day trip with Harry.
Reported snub
Reports suggest Meghan was keen to do a new interview with Oprah on the topic of "healing," but the talk show host "is not interested," especially after the backlash from the first interview.
Royal insider Rob Shuter relayed a source saying the Sussexes have "floated the idea of a second sit-down with Oprah," adding: "Harry and Meghan would love a Part Two. They're talking again because they both have projects to promote, and they know interviews generate headlines. They hoped Oprah might be interested in a fresh chapter about healing. She isn't."
The source continued: "Oprah took plenty of criticism after the first special. She has absolutely nothing to gain by stepping back into the royal drama. As far as she's concerned, that story has been told."
It appears Oprah has no interest in being part of the Sussexes' publicity strategy, so Harry promoting the Invictus Games or Meghan selling her fruit jams will require alternative methods.
Oprah's own backlash
Oprah herself has faced fresh criticism from royal fans after appearing to defend her approach in the 2021 interview. In a Vanity Fair appearance, she rewatched the moment she asked Meghan whether she "was silent or was silenced" by the Royal Family.
She explained: "I wanted to be clear, because was she silenced? Were people telling her not to talk? That's why I said that. I said it for clarification because I didn't want later to hear, 'Well, no it wasn't that, it really was that I was silenced, they wouldn't let me talk.' So it was all for clarification."
One viewer accused Oprah of attempting to "backpedal with trying to rewrite the history on this interview," while another said: "Oh Oprah, you don't get to rewrite history five years later."
