Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, has resigned from her position after years of championing projects by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to a report.
Bajaria became the streaming giant's chief content officer in January 2023. A Netflix consultant who worked closely with her said she was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 'biggest champion' amid their ongoing collaboration with the service, and was determined to show that the couple were a 'successful signing'.
Departure Raises Questions About Sussexes' Netflix Future
Bajaria is said to have championed projects produced by Harry and Meghan in the latter part of their initial deal with Netflix and into their newer 'first look' deal. The consultant told The Times: "Effectively, their biggest champion has gone, and they are uncertain about who will be shouting for their cause in the future."
The consultant added: "Teams at the company were well aware of how she was fiercely loyal to the couple and determined to prove they were a successful signing, even when the response from viewers was different."
Mixed Success for Sussexes' Netflix Shows
The relationship between Netflix and the Sussexes proved especially lucrative in 2022 when the couple's docuseries, titled Harry & Meghan, was released, discussing their relationship with the Royal Family. The six-part series debuted with a total of 23.4 million views, reaching the English Top 10 TV list in 85 countries, and became Netflix's fifth most popular documentary series of all time.
However, their subsequent projects - including Harry's Polo and Heart of Invictus documentaries and Meghan's lifestyle series - did not fare quite as well. Despite diminishing views, the Netflix insider said Bajaria continued to fight for Harry and Meghan as they landed their 2025 deal with the streaming service, but said such lucrative deals would no longer be on the plate if the shows aren't producing results.
New Scrutiny for Sussexes' Deals
The source explained: "With her exit, Bela's top talent roster will face new scrutiny and reviews. Meghan and Harry will be dealing with new executives. That is tough going for anyone in business at the moment in Hollywood."
The source added: "Netflix has laid off over 1,000 people and are tightening purse strings, so handing out millions on projects which don't work or are stuck for years in development is a no-go."
The news of Bajaria's departure comes after a friend of Meghan's claimed the Duchess was 'used' by the streaming service to help promote the series The Gentlemen, after rumours emerged she had landed a role on the third season. A source close to Meghan told the Telegraph that the Duchess' fame, and the news that she was moving back to Britain, were used by the Netflix programme to help generate buzz for the second series.
"Some people in her camp feel she was used to help promote season two, because they knew it wasn't as good as the first season and had already commissioned a third [series]," a source told the publication. The source added: "It's the oldest marketing trick in the book: get a big name to read a script, then leak that you're 'in conversation' with them when, in reality, nothing is particularly far along. The whole thing left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp's mouth. Needless to say, Netflix got what it wanted: huge viewing figures for season two and a lot of publicity."
However, Netflix has since taken aim at the allegations, with the suggestion being roundly dismissed by those close to the production. "This is not a show in need of stunt casting," an insider said.
