Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continue to court the spotlight.
The Sussex Royals have earned a reputation for being spoiled and condescending.
And Meghan’s complaint about one television role will leave you speechless.
Before marrying a prince, Meghan Markle was a television actress with a modest career.
And before that, she was a briefcase girl on the popular network game show Deal or No Deal.
Unsurprisingly, Markle felt that the job was beneath her, and isn’t bashful about saying so now.
During an episode of her podcast, Markle said, “Back in 2006, I had a short stint as a briefcase girl on the U.S. version of the game show…My experience on this show, which included holding said briefcase onstage, alongside 25 other women doing the same, it was, for me, fascinating…I had studied acting in college — and like a lot of the other women standing onstage with me, acting is what I was pursuing…There were times when I was on set at Deal or No Deal, and thinking back to my time working as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina in Buenos Aires, and being in the motorcade with the secretary of treasury at the time, and being valued, specifically for my brain…I was being valued for something quite the opposite [on Deal or No Deal].”
As a Northwestern grad, Markle wanted to be “valued” for her mind, but if that were the case, she shouldn’t have taken the gig on a game show.
She added, “There was a very cookie-cutter idea of precisely what we should look like…It was solely about beauty, and not necessarily about brains…I was thankful for the job, but not for how it made me feel, which was not smart…I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach, knowing I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage.”
Markle should’ve stopped at “I was thankful for the job.”
Getting a paid gig on network television at 25 years old is a big break for anyone trying to work in the entertainment industry.
Jobs like that pay well and are hard to get.
Claudia Jordan, a reality TV personality and former briefcase girl, contradicted Markle’s characterization of the show.
In an interview, Jordan explained, “For clarity — yes getting a modeling gig on a game show isn’t necessarily about your intellect but every show the executive producers picked five models with the most outgoing and fun personalities to place mics on who they knew would engage with the contestants…Deal or No Deal never treated us like bimbos…We got so many opportunities because of that show…That’s the kind of opportunity that is what you make it. If you just show up and don’t engage then you’ll just get your check and not get much out of it but if you show up and seize your moments, then there’s no limits to what you can do with the opportunity.”
Markle’s attitude about the show foreshadowed her future attitude.
Being a princess wasn’t even good enough for her.