Since stepping back from royal duties, Harry and Meghan have secured major deals, including a bestselling memoir and high-profile partnerships with Netflix and Spotify, earning them millions. However, their business ventures have also drawn criticism.
In the past, Bill Simmons, Spotify’s former head of podcast innovation and monetization, publicly criticized the couple, calling them “grifters.”
“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Meghan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation. The Fucking Grifters, that’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” he said on his podcast.
“I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories … Fuck them. The grifters.”
The label has reportedly followed the couple since. Royal commentator Lee Cohen later noted: “It all started to change through so many factors, and then you have executives in Hollywood calling them… ‘expletive’ grifters.”
“Now that (was) just broadcast everywhere, and social media created hashtags calling them ‘Harry and Meghan are grifters’ – what a terrible label to have,” he added.