Harry and Meghan Markle and Spotify put an end to their deal of 20 million dollars

The professional relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Spotify has come to an end. Meghan Markle's podcast, Archetypes, part of her $20 million deal with the audio platform, will not be renewed for a second season, its protagonists have confirmed. Streaming giant and Meghan and Prince Harry's audio production company, Archewell Audio issued a joint statement on Thursday, June 15, saying they have "mutually agreed" to part ways. "We are proud of the series we did together," the note alleges. At the moment, the main page of the Archewell Audio website has not deleted its "exclusive collaboration" with Spotify.

The couple announced a multi-year partnership between Spotify and its production company Archewell Audio in 2020, an alliance that aimed to "build community through shared experiences, narratives and values." This materialized in a unique podcast that aired at Christmas of that same year and then, in the summer of 2022, in a series entitled Archetypes, with 12 episodes in which the Duchess spoke with Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and another dozen actors, comedians and public figures. Still, the Henry of England and his wife had not produced enough content to receive full payment for the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources. A representative for WMW, the talent agency representing the Duchess since earlier this year, told the American newspaper that "the team behind Archetypes remains proud of the podcast they created on Spotify," adding that "Meghan continues to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform."

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The weekly show, which was billed as a series of conversations about stereotypes holding women back, topped the platform's charts in several markets. Two days after its premiere, it was the number one podcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada on Spotify's international charts. "We're working on other ways to keep the conversation going, but know that I'm so grateful to close this season of Archetypes. Thank you for listening and learning with me. This has been liberating and healing, and it's been fun," Meghan said during the final episode, which aired in November 2022.

While it's unclear exactly why the Duke and Duchess have decided to end their deal with Spotify, or vice versa, Page Six recalls that the couple began questioning their association with the platform after host Joe Rogan, who also signed with the company, made controversial comments about the covid vaccine on his podcast. . "Harry and Meghan will be less than thrilled with Spotify, it's very embarrassing for them," a source told the US outlet in 2021. "And they have to think, 'Do we really want to carry the same flag as Joe Rogan?'

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The decision not to renew the contract for the show came a week after the Swedish company announced it was cutting 200 jobs and making a "strategic realignment" in its podcasting department. Part of this adjustment appeared to involve a reduction in the number of exclusive agreements it signed.

Harry, the youngest son of Charles III, married former TV star Meghan Markle in 2018, and they received a bath of positive media coverage that looked like it would help position the traditional monarchy in the twenty-first century. But relations between the couple and the British royal family soured in the following years, with accusations that Markle was a victim of racism and that they did not give her enough help when she alerted them to her mental health problems.

Harry and his wife traded their lives in the monarchy and official events for sunny California, from where they have continued to question the institution. They have fired their darts in an interview with renowned host Oprah Winfre, in a documentary series on Netflix and in the prince's explosive autobiography, published last January. Since stepping down from their royal duties, the couple has found a new avenue of income in the media and there is also the possibility that Meghan could soon bring back her wellness and lifestyle blog, Tig.