Taylor Swift reportedly declined an invitation to appear on Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Duchess of Sussex personally extended the offer as part of her and Prince Harry’s efforts to make a mark in Hollywood after stepping back from their royal roles. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Meghan collaborated with Spotify’s Gimlet unit to compile a list of potential guests for her podcast after signing a lucrative deal with the streaming platform in 2020, estimated to be worth around $20 million.
Meghan penned a personal letter inviting Taylor Swift, known for her hit “Midnights,” to be a guest on her podcast. However, Swift’s representative declined the invitation on her behalf. At the time of reporting, there had been no official comment from the representatives of Meghan, Prince Harry, or Taylor Swift.
The podcast, titled “Archetypes,” made its debut in August 2022 and featured notable guests like Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, and Paris Hilton. Over twelve episodes, Meghan and her guests explored the challenges and stereotypes faced by women. The podcast quickly gained popularity, soaring to the top of Spotify’s charts in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
However, the collaboration between Spotify and Archewell, the Sussexes’ production company, eventually came to an end. A joint statement announced their mutual decision to part ways, stating that the podcast would no longer be produced on Spotify. It remains unclear whether there are plans to continue the show on another platform.
Speculation arose regarding the reasons behind the separation between the Sussexes and Spotify. The news coincided with a downturn in the tech and media sectors, which saw layoffs at Spotify earlier that year. Spotify attributed its second round of job cuts in June to a “strategic realignment” of its podcast division. Reports also surfaced suggesting that the Sussexes were not generating enough content for the audio-streaming service. In a separate incident, the head of podcast innovation and monetization at Spotify referred to the couple as “grifters” on his own podcast a day after the partnership ended.
