Jelly Roll Isn't Prince Harry's Only Controversial Famous Friend

In November 2024, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex teamed up with Jelly Roll for a special video. The comedic video promoted the 2024 Invictus Games and announced Jelly Roll as the closing ceremony's headliner. Even though Jelly Roll has been wrapped up in quite a few controversies, Harry still united with the country star for a good cause. Of course, this is far from the first time that Harry has been friends with someone who has been involved in controversy.

Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex famously left their roles as working royals in 2020. Not only did this move cause Harry to lose his relationship with some of his family members, but some A-list stars have also left his and Meghan's social circle due to the drama. 

Even so, Harry still has quite a few famous friends. In the Netflix docuseries, "Harry & Meghan," the duke explained how these friends have helped him during this difficult time in his life. "I've got a second family out there and a group of friends that literally brought me up," he said, per Hello! However, like Jelly Roll, some of Harry's closest pals have been caught up in controversy over the years.

Through Prince Harry's falling out with his family, one unexpected star has been there for him: Grammy-winning music producer David Foster. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Foster's wife and "Smash" star Katherine McPhee described his friendship with Harry, saying, "My husband has... a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry." She added, "They're so cute; they're like father and son." Foster, who is a year younger than King Charles III, reportedly assisted Harry and Meghan Markle in finding a home in Canada when they first left the U.K. And, they later became neighbors when Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito, California.

Having a confidante like Foster nearby has surely been a comfort to Harry during this turbulent time in his life. Still, while Foster has been a close friend to Harry, that doesn't mean that he hasn't run into controversy in his own life. For starters, he has received some backlash for the whopping 35-year age gap he has with McPhee. The pair was 70 and 35, respectively, when they tied the knot. Back in June 2024, the couple went viral for a moment at one of their concerts in 2023 that made the rounds on TikTok. In the video, McPhee spoke to the audience, saying, "You may not know we met 17, almost 18 years ago when I was a little chubby and cheerful contestant on 'American Idol.'"  Foster responded with, "Oh yeah, you were fat," which gained backlash on social media.

Polo player and model Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras has been a friend of Prince Harry for years. In April 2024, Figueras spoke to Hello! about his lasting friendship with the Duke of Sussex. "We speak very often, which is amazing to be able to have a friendship that feels like — sometimes we're not together-together — so it's always a good thing to be able to share that with someone," he explained. 

It's clear that Figueras and Harry's friendship has withstood many of life's ups and downs — including a bit of scandal. In 2020, the athlete came under fire for defending Ellen DeGeneres when her former employees were speaking out about the difficult work environment she created on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." 

In 2020, Figueras posted a photo of him and DeGeneres to Instagram with a lengthy caption, saying, "I have been patiently waiting for someone with more authority than me to speak up about what a great human being [Degeneres] is. I have been very lucky to be on that show many times and I can tell you that it is a very well run machine, everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved. I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters where she is nice to absolutely everyone... Everyone loves her because that is who she is." Unsurprisingly, this post earned some criticism.

In Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's famous interview with Oprah Winfrey back in 2021, Meghan opened up about the star who surprisingly stepped in to help them when they left the United Kingdom — filmmaker Tyler Perry. "We needed a house and he offered security as well," Meghan explained, "so it gave us breathing room to try to figure out what we are going to do," per Vanity Fair. On an episode of "Let's Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa," Perry recalled that the couple "hid out at my house for a long time." He noted that the paparazzi didn't know that they were there and that "They were so happy. It was such a beautiful moment." The couple later asked Perry to be their daughter Princess Lilibet's godfather.

It's clear that Perry's help during the Sussexes' time of need was invaluable. However, this generosity hasn't stopped the star from receiving backlash in other areas of his life. Perry has been criticized for what many people believe to be the reinforcement of Black stereotypes within his body of work. Furthermore, in 2023, actor Christian Keyes accused a "powerful man" who he had worked with of sexually harassing him, per The Root. Rumors swirled that Perry was the powerful man in question, but this has not been confirmed.

Thomas van Straubenzee is one of Prince Harry's oldest friends. They have been pals since childhood when they went to Ludgrove Prep School in Berkshire together. Thomas and his brother Charles van Straubenzee reportedly acted as ushers at Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. Thomas is also friends with William, Prince of Wales and is his daughter, Princess Charlotte's, godfather.

In 2013, Harry and William were both ushers at Thomas' wedding to the Duke of Northumberland's daughter Lady Melissa Percy. However, the high-profile couple didn't even make it to their third wedding anniversary. According to the Daily Mail, the divorce papers noted that Percy was found to be "entitled to a decree of divorce, the marriage having irretrievably broken down, the facts found proved being the respondent's unreasonable behaviour." While Thomas has since remarried, this paperwork certainly implies that he may not have acted appropriately during his short-lived first marriage. 

"The Late Late Show" host James Corden is reportedly one of Prince Harry's friends who has remained on his side. Harry and Meghan Markle's children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet even have playdates with Corden's children. In a 2022 interview with The Sun, Corden opened up about his love for Harry, saying, "I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Harry, and anyone who has been around him and spent time with him would feel exactly the same way. I think he is a devoted and loving husband and father and I think what they have done is incredibly brave and I'll always be in their corner."

Corden's promise to have Harry's back is valuable since it always seems to be a challenge for the Duke of Sussex to avoid scrutiny and negative attention. Corden, however, has received some negative attention of his own. In 2023, director Craig Duncan opened up about his experience working with Corden. In a YouTube video, he called Corden "the most difficult and obnoxious presenter I've ever worked with." He recounted Corden showing up 45 minutes late to work on the series "A League of Their Own" and being rude to the crew. 

Others have made similar claims about Corden, including New York City restaurant Balthazar owner Keith McNally, who called him "... a tiny Cretin of a man. And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened," per Instagram.