Hollywood’s leading lights were paying close attention last night when streaming-giant Netflix held its prestigious season launch in Los Angeles.
Ben Affleck was there at the historic Egyptian Theatre to plug a new film, while Tina Fey entertained guests with details of her latest comedy.
Clips of colourful documentaries starring Victoria Beckham, Eddie Murphy and former president Barack Obama featured prominently.
Yet one of Netflix’s best-known collaborators, the Duchess of Sussex, was barely mentioned at the event – even though her lifestyle show, ‘With Love, Meghan’, is due to be released in March.
Worse, in another sign that America is falling out of love with the royal couple, a leading comedian at the event made Harry and Meghan’s film-making record the butt of a dismissive joke.
Describing his own live talk show, which debuts on March 12, just a few days after Meghan’s series is due to launch – John Mulaney said: ‘This will be the one place where you [might] see Arnold Schwarzenegger sitting next to Nikki Glaser sitting next to a family therapist with music by Mannequin Pussy…
‘This is a really fun experiment. Not since Harry and Meghan has Netflix given more money to someone without a specific plan.’
The Hollywood audience responded with ‘snickering’ and a few ‘whoas’, according to a source in the auditorium last night.
‘It was shocking to me that Netflix would seemingly allow Meghan and Harry to be ridiculed at such a prestige event,’ she said. ‘The head honchos were all there.
‘And how strange that a show by the couple who signed a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix barely featured – apart from one brief clip in a montage.
‘Even film-maker Tyler Perry, the guy who loaned his LA house to the Sussexes after Megxit, got a mention.
‘It really felt like Netflix don’t give a d*mn.’
Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a $100 million five-year deal in 2020 to supply material to the streaming giant, which now claims to be the biggest in the world with more than 300 million subscribers.
The Sussexes’s film-making career got off to a flying start with their six-episode blockbuster ‘Harry and Meghan’ portraying their romance and departure from front-line royal duties.
Since then, however, it has been reported that Netflix executives have been disappointed with their contribution.
Their most recent documentary series, ‘Polo’ – about the Prince’s favourite game – has been panned, with the Guardian describing it as ‘unintentionally hilarious’.
The Sussexes have also made ‘Heart of Invictus’, a documentary about Prince Harry’s Invictus Games for wounded, sick and injured servicemen and women and, ‘Live to Lead’, an ‘inspiring’ series featuring such figures as Greta Thunberg and former liberal prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.
A reviewer for the Daily Telegraph described the latter as ‘a torrent of motivational gloop’.
‘With Love, Meghan’, a cookery and lifestyle show – expected to be similar to those pioneered by US ‘domestic goddess’ Martha Stewart – was supposed to be the start of a commercial re-set for the Duchess.
News of her latest – and potentially final – Netflix collaboration coincided with her return to Instagram (Meghan had closed down her successful The Tig account in 2017, shortly before commencing royal life) and her launch of American Riviera Orchard, a commercial ‘lifestyle’ brand said to be focused on goods ranging from preserves to wallpaper.
‘With Love, Meghan’ was originally scheduled for launch this month but, according to Netflix, has been delayed ‘because of the ongoing devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires’.
However, some Hollywood insiders have suggested that the series is being re-edited.
This month, the previously supportive Vanity Fair magazine published a devastating 8000-word profile of the couple with a litany of unflattering revelations.
These ranged from the mildly critical suggestion that they have annoyed neighbours in Montecito (because of the attention they have brought) to the potentially damaging claim that Meghan’s team has discussed the potential for a possible ‘post-divorce’ book deal should she split up from Prince Harry.
The profile also tackled long-running claims that Meghan’s behaviour towards colleagues could amount to bullying.
One of Vanity Fair’s sources described her treatment of underlings as ‘really, really awful. Very painful’.
Vanity Fair said that others quit early or resorted to therapy after working with Meghan.
Opinions on the Sussexes continue to vary, however.
Jane Marie, a producer who worked with the couple during development of Archewell audio projects, told Vanity Fair that Meghan is ‘just a lovely, genuine person’.
Staff loyal to Meghan and Harry have previously defended the couple to US Weekly magazine, describing them as ‘caring’ bosses who give employees their children’s old baby clothes, fresh flowers and ‘care packages’.