Prince Harry and Meghan have ended their podcast agreement with Spotify
June 19, 2023: Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have announced another high-profile split.
Both parties revealed that the couple’s lucrative deal to produce podcasts for Spotify has ended.
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together,” the audio streaming giant and the production company launched by the Sussexes said in a joint statement.
The development comes after the couple delivered just one series, “Archetypes,” a podcast launched in August 2022 and hosted by Meghan that sought to “investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back” under their Archewell Audio podcast imprint.
A representative for Spotify stated that the decision meant that Meghan’s “Archetypes” podcast would not be renewed for a second season, as was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The representative confirmed reporting that executives with both companies had previously discussed a second season of “Archetypes” given the first season’s success. Still, the show’s producers have been told that a second will not move forward.
“Archetypes” featured celebrities including Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, Constance Wu, Jameela Jamil, and Paris Hilton. In December, “Archetypes” also won the top podcast at the Los Angeles People’s Choice Award.
Calling the podcast a “labor of love,” Meghan had written on the Archewell website at the time how much she “loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up previous at night in bed, working on the writing and making them.”
“And I was obsessed digging deep into a meaningful conversation with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them,” she said.
The royals’ deal with Spotify was reportedly made in 2020 for $20 million. NBC News was not able to verify that figure.
The Spotify spokesperson did not approve the deal’s cost but said that recent layoffs at the company had “no relation” to the decision to end the contract with Harry and Meghan.
When their deal with Spotify was first announced, Harry and Meghan, wrote in a common statement, “What we love regarding podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to listen, to connect without distraction.”
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