Meghan Markle has signed a new podcast deal, just eight months after her Archetypes podcast, which was branded a “disaster” on social media, was cancelled by Spotify after just 12 episodes.
According to reports, the Duchess of Sussex, 42, has signed a new deal with Lemonada Media, which will see them re-release her previous Archetypes episodes so they can be heard by a wider audience, as well as get to work on some brand new content.
Meghan Markle Is 'Proud' To Join The 'Brilliant Team At Lemonada'
The former Suits actress released a statement to confirm that she was working with the company, which was founded in 2019 by Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
"I'm proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting," Meghan's statement began. "Being able to support a female-founded company with a roster of thought-provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024," she continued, before going on to tell fans what they can expect from her new deal.
"Our plan to rerelease Archetypes, so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works," the brunette beauty teased. "I'm so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family."
Lemonada Media, which produces over 40 podcasts, including Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Hard Feelings with Jennette McCurdy, also released a short statement about its partnership with Markle.
"We are beyond honored that Meghan has trusted us to help democratize access to Archetypes, and that so many more people around the world will have access to the series soon," Kramer said in a statement, according to Page Six. "Meghan's talent as host, creator and conversationalist is unparalleled and we are thrilled to co-create a new series with her that fosters her approach to creating art that matters."
Wachs also chimed in, saying: "As we've started development with The Duchess of Sussex, we are blown away by her collaborative spirit and clear vision, along with her deep desire to build compassion and community through this work. The Lemonada team felt immediate kinship with Meghan and the Archewell Productions team, and we are delighted to be working together."
The mom-of-two's new deal comes about eight months after Meghan and Prince Harry ended their $20M partnership with Spotify, which they said at the time was a mutual decision. "Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together," the joint statement by Spotify and Archewell Audio read at the time.
Despite the criticism, the first season of Archetypes, which was produced through their production company, Archewell Audio, *did* see some success, as Meghan won a People's Choice Award for 'Pop Podcast of 2022,' as well as a Gracie Award for 'Top Entertainment Podcast Host.' Archetypes reportedly had over 10 million downloads and around one million listens per episode, so it will be interesting to see what the figures are like when it reaches an even wider audience.
