Justine Bateman's Scathing Indictment Of Meghan & Harry Has Everyone Picking Sides

Since last week, deadly wildfires have destroyed homes and businesses throughout the Los Angeles area, and there has been an outpouring of help and support for those who've lost so much, including from Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Meghan and Harry live in Montecito, California, which is around 90 miles from the fire-affected areas. The couple visited Pasadena to help serve food to fire evacuees and thank first responders. The mayor of Pasadena seemed to be thankful for them being there, but not everyone appreciated the couple's actions. Actor and filmmaker Justine Bateman posted about Meghan and Harry on X, formerly Twitter, on January 11: "Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers. What a repulsive 'photo op' they achieved. They are 'touring the damage'? Are they politicians now? They don't live here; they are tourists. Disaster Tourists."

Her viral post has got people talking, and no one can agree as to whether Bateman's perspective was reasonable. Lots of people think she crossed the line. "I'm at a loss as to why you're so bitter & angry Justine. Meghan & Harry decided to help the poor people affected by these horrific fires. Unless you expected them to wear burkhas, of course they were going to be recognised & photographed," one person said.

Another wrote, "All I see you doing is bashing the mayor and the governor and being an X Keyboard warrior. They were out there helping. You...not so much."

There were also some people who agreed with Justine Bateman's assessment of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. One person posted: "They were there to keep themselves relevant. They were there for photos for their PR stunts." Another tweet read, "Imagine being so narcissistic that you have to insert yourselves into a catastrophic event and send out press releases that you're going there."

Someone else chimed in, "I find the more some people have to scream how compassionate they are the less they are actually compassionate [sic] in real life. Plus she is promoting her show on Netflix. Always an ulterior motive." The trailer for Meghan's latest Netflix project happened to come out around the time the fires started, though its debut will be delayed because of the fires.

On their website, Harry and Meghan have posted a collection of resources in connection to the fires and how people can help, including mention of World Central Kitchen, one of the ongoing projects of Meghan and Harry's Archewell Foundation. They've also reportedly opened up their home for friends who have had to evacuate.