Meghan Markle is rolling out the red carpet for a major comeback, and she’s doing it with a little help from her famous friends.
After a rocky few years trying to establish their post-royal life brand, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are gearing up for the premiere of Markle’s highly anticipated new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, this Jan. 15. And if her dazzling roster of celebrity guests is any indication, this project could be the perfect image rehab she’s been waiting for.
Buzz around the lifestyle-meets-chat show has already begun, thanks in part to a glowing endorsement from none other than Markle’s celebrity pal, Mindy Kaling. The actress and producer couldn’t stop singing Meghan’s praises during a red-carpet interview at the Golden Globes. “Meghan texted me and said, ‘Hey, do you want to come and be on my show? Come up to Montecito and have me cook with you? And I was like, ‘Yeah!’” Kaling told Deadline before gushing about Markle’s cooking skills and organic garden.
“She surprisingly kind of blew me out of the water. But the thing about the recipes and being there was it was just really accessible. I mean, she has a garden… from scratch, which I could never do — and chickens, which probably, they would all die if I try to take care of chickens.”
The Office alum also gushed about filming with Markle’s husband, Prince Harry, who was there during filming. Kaling was not sure if the royal prince also knew how to cook like his wife. However, she lauded his familiarity with the space. “Harry was there but he didn’t cook for me. He’s actually pretty good. He knows his way around the kitchen,” she said.
Kaling, who appears as one of Markle’s friends on With Love, Meghan, got a front-row seat to the duchess’ lifestyle prowess. “This is probably one of the most glamorous moments of my life,” Kaling says in the trailer for the show, which teases an exciting blend of cooking, heartfelt conversations, and a side of star-studded glamour.
Based on the trailer, Markle’s new Netflix series is going to reimagine the lifestyle programming genre by mixing practical advice with the duchess’ candid chats with her celebrity pals. Aside from Kaling, the teaser features the likes of Abigail Spencer, Roy Choi, Tracy Robbins, and Alice Waters. There’s also a scene showing a sweet cameo by none other than Prince Harry.
If this sounds like Markle’s soft power play to reclaim her spotlight, you’d be right. The Duchess of Sussex has been strategically leaning on her celebrity network to boost her appeal, and With Love, Meghan might be her most polished effort yet. Markle has always known how to cultivate a carefully curated image, whether as a Hollywood actress, a humanitarian, or a royal renegade, and this latest venture appears designed to remind the world of her charm, talent, and relatability.
This isn’t Prince Harry and Markle’s first rodeo with Netflix. Their 2022 docuseries, Harry & Meghan, made waves with its intimate behind-the-scenes look at their romance and their dramatic exit from royal life. But not all their Netflix ventures have landed smoothly. Projects like Live to Lead and Heart of Invictus received lukewarm responses, prompting whispers of waning star power. But now, With Love, Meghan seems poised to change all that.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the royal couple. Since signing a reported multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix in 2020, the Sussexes have faced mounting pressure to deliver hits. Their post-royal brand has struggled to resonate, with critics accusing them of being out of touch. But With Love, Meghan could flip the script by spotlighting Markle’s relatability, passion for lifestyle, and her knack for bringing people together — qualities that she first showcased via her now-defunct blog, The Tig.