Meghan And Harry Get Knocked Down A Peg On The Wendy Williams Show

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have faced criticism and backlash for leaving the royal family and moving to the United States. In a now-infamous interview with Oprah, Harry and Markle opened up about their reasoning for leaving the U.K., citing pressures from both the press and the royal family (via The New York Times).

Since sitting down with Oprah at the beginning of their move from England to California, Prince Harry has become even more comfortable in his new home. He told Hoda Kotb in an interview with Today, "Home for me, now, for the time being, is in the States," adding, "And it really feels that way, as well. We've been welcomed with open arms and have got such a great community up in Santa Barbara."

While Harry seems happy with his choice to move to the United States, even referring to it as his home, he hasn't been met with support from people from the U.K., who feel he has abandoned his roots (via the Daily Mail). It's not just British subjects who disapprove, though. 

It's not hard to believe that some citizens of the United Kingdom have felt snubbed by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon their move to the United States. However, some Americans have criticized the couple for their new life across the Atlantic.

On a recent episode of "The Wendy Williams Show," for example, guest host Michael Rapaport put the couple on blast for the rumored reality TV show they will be starring in (per InStyle). The comedian went on a rant about the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" inspired show following the couple's life in California — and he didn't hold back. "These two, you need to get a life, you need to get a life. You've left the royal family to do a reality show. Meghan and Harry Markle, respectfully. First you guys wanted to do philanthropy," he said (via Newsweek).

A producer of the show reminded Rapaport that they were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but Rapaport shot back, "No, no, no, they're Meghan and Harry Markle, you ain't Sussex. You're Meghan and Harry Markle. They do things their own way and I'm telling you my man took her last name. She's driving the ship."

While comedian Michael Rapaport may have put Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their place for viewers of "The Wendy Williams Show" to see, their deal with Netflix could have also given them a reality check. While the couple is planning a new reality series to show off their life in California after nailing a huge deal with the streaming service, one of Markle's projects has already gotten the ax.

According to Vanity Fair, Meghan Markle's first show with Netflix will no longer be hitting the platform. The idea was an animated show called "Pearl," which would be centered around a 12-year-old character. "Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life's daily challenges," Markle shared in a statement.

It seems that the show was canceled due to Netflix losing a large amount of its customer base and revenue (via the BBC). While this show didn't pan out for the couple's production company, Archewell, the streaming service is planning on teaming up with the royals on several other projects, including the reality show Rapaport referred to.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's deal with Netflix is what kicked off the backlash towards the couple that comedian Michael Rapaport joined in on. The deal was signed in September of 2020 and gave the couple the ability to make shows, movies, and children's programming, amongst other streamable features (per US Weekly). The deal came after Harry made "Rising Phoenix," a documentary that profiled the Paralympic Games.

Rapaport is not the only critic putting their two cents behind the Netflix deal with Harry and Markle. According to Geo News, a recent survey found that many agree with Rapaport and think that the royal couple shouldn't have secured a deal with the streaming service at all.

After Netflix gave "Pearl" the ax, critics of the couple sounded off, much like Rapaport — but unlike him, many critics called for Netflix to cut the royal couple's entire contract. In a survey conducted by Express UK, out of 1,602 responses, 61% said yes, 38% marked no, and another 1% hadn't made up their minds or were indifferent.

Those who voted that Netflix should ax the entire deal were quite vocal, commenting things like "Netflix should cancel the deal immediately," and "I canceled my subscription due to Harry and Meghan, and if Netflix wants to be honest they are losing due to Harry and Meghan."

Suffice to say, emotions are high on the topic and Rapaport surely wasn't alone in his criticism.