The Duchess of Sussex's attempt to share some festive cheer appears to have missed the mark, leaving followers more perplexed than amused. Meghan Markle, 44, posted a video on her Instagram in the lead-up to Thanksgiving, showing her preparing a turkey, but the clip has ignited a wave of criticism and confusion online.
A Puzzling Pun Fails to Land
In the sped-up video, the Duchess was seen rubbing a mixture of salt, pepper, and other spices onto the turkey before grating lemon zest over it. The caption accompanying the clip read, "It's 'game' time," followed by a query to her followers asking if they 'got' her 'mom joke'.
However, the quip left many social media users scratching their heads. The confusion stemmed from the word 'game', which typically refers to meat from hunted animals like grouse or pheasant, not a store-bought turkey. One user on X/Twitter directly asked for the joke to be explained "for me like I'm five", while another commented that the pun had completely "passed me by".
Critics were quick to point out the discrepancy. "Is turkey a game bird? I mean, she got that plucked and trimmed from her butcher," one person questioned, adding that the joke was "as lame as that dead bird". Another user succinctly explained, "Wild turkey = game. Butterball is just 'turkey'." The general consensus online was that the wordplay was laboured and missed its intended target.
Kitchen Hygiene Under the Microscope
The ill-fated pun wasn't the only aspect of the video to draw fire. Viewers expressed significant concern over Meghan's kitchen hygiene practices. In the clip, she was seen handling the raw turkey with her bare hands while wearing expensive jewellery, including her £7,000 Cartier Love bracelet and her £134,000 engagement ring from Prince Harry, plus her gold wedding band.
Alarm bells rang for many when she appeared to touch various kitchen surfaces and appliances after handling the raw poultry without visibly washing her hands. Followers branded the practice a "recipe for food poisoning", pointing out that jewellery can harbour harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, increasing the risk of cross-contamination.
"Who 'preps' with all their jewellery on and no gloves?" one person asked incredulously. Another added, "I really find her jewellery and lack of hygiene off-putting." The criticism extended to suggestions that Meghan appeared inexperienced in the kitchen, with one Reddit user noting she had clearly never taken a "food handling course".
Context and Broader Backlash
This Thanksgiving video is part of a series of lifestyle posts Meghan has been sharing to promote her upcoming Netflix special, 'With Love, Meghan', scheduled to air on December 3. However, these promotional clips have seemingly had an unintended effect.
Previous videos, including one demonstrating a method for eating bagels with cream cheese and another assembling a yoghurt parfait, have been widely derided online. Critics have accused her of being "very inexperienced with cooking", suggesting that her simple recipes and apparent food prep mistakes undermine her credentials to host a culinary show.
The combined reaction to the turkey video—encompassing the misunderstood joke and the hygiene concerns—highlights the intense scrutiny the Duchess faces and the potential for even well-intentioned content to backfire spectacularly on social media.
