Meghan Markle bet big on Hollywood.
That gamble just backfired in the worst way.
And Meghan Markle's Netflix dream just came crashing down after this brutal reality.
Netflix Pulls the Plug on Meghan's Failing Show
Netflix canceled With Love, Meghan after just two seasons, multiple sources confirmed to Page Six.
The Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle series lasted 16 episodes and one holiday special before the streaming giant pulled the plug.
"It's not returning as a series," an insider told Page Six.
The show bombed spectacularly in the ratings — ranking 1,016th place worldwide from July to December 2025 and drawing only 2 million views over that six-month period.
That's more than 60% below the first season's already dismal performance.
Even reruns of Downton Abbey beat Meghan's show.
The numbers get worse.
Season 2 logged only 2 million views in the final four months of 2025, placing it at 1,217th most-watched title on Netflix over the second half of the year according to Deadline.
The first season ranked 383rd with 5.3 million views — and that was Netflix's so-called "most-watched culinary show since its release."
Reruns of Suits, Meghan's old show that's been off the air for six years, crushed her new series by ranking more than 200 spots higher.
Martha Stewart Just Torched Meghan's Hollywood Dreams
Martha Stewart didn't hold back when asked about Meghan's attempt to become a lifestyle guru.
"Meghan, I don't really know very well, and I hope she knows what she's talking about," Stewart told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Then came the kill shot.
"Authenticity, to me, is everything, and to be authentic and knowledgeable about your subject matter is extremely important," Stewart said.
Stewart praised Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop empire in the same interview, calling the Oscar winner "pretty powerful" and saying she "created quite an interesting body of businesses."
But Meghan got nothing but shade.
PR expert Doug Eldridge told Fox News Digital that Meghan lacks the essential ingredient that made Stewart and Rachael Ray successful.
"Martha Stewart was aspirational; Rachael Ray was relatable. Each personality came at it from a different direction, but managed to connect with their audiences because they were authentic," Eldridge explained.
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich said Meghan never had a unique selling proposition beyond marrying Prince Harry.
"There was never a USP. The only differentiator Meghan Markle had in this crowded lifestyle space was marrying a prince," Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
The Show Was Doomed From the Start
Critics savaged With Love, Meghan from day one.
The Washington Post ran a devastating review of the holiday special with the headline: "This can't be the future Meghan Markle envisioned: What in the name of Wallis Simpson is going on with the repatriated royal's new Netflix special?"
Columnist Monica Hesse wrote that Meghan's guests "behave as though they've just had a burlap sack pulled off their heads and learned: Bad news, the kidnapping wasn't a dream; good news, if you just make some lavender syrup with this woman, she'll let you go."
The show currently has a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Viewers quickly tuned out after checking in out of curiosity.
The problem wasn't just bad reviews — the show was fundamentally inauthentic.
Meghan filmed at a rental mansion instead of her actual Montecito home.
Many of the celebrity "friends" weren't people she had organic relationships with.
One viral moment had Mindy Kaling call her "Meghan Markle" only for the Duchess to correct her saying "you know I'm Sussex now."
Another showed Meghan transferring pretzels from one plastic bag to another and calling it a "life hack."
PR expert Renae Smith told the Daily Express the show was "doomed from the start" because food shows only work if people like the food or the chef.
"Was I surprised her Netflix show flopped? Not even slightly," Smith said.
Netflix Just Downgraded Harry and Meghan's $100 Million Deal
The catastrophic failure of With Love, Meghan comes as Netflix downgraded the Sussexes' partnership from their original $100 million exclusive deal to a first-look arrangement.
That's the same deal Netflix gave Barack and Michelle Obama after their production contract ran out.
Hollywood Reporter described it as a "downgrade."
Under the new terms, Harry and Meghan are no longer tied exclusively to Netflix and can shop their projects elsewhere.
"It's not much," an insider told Page Six about the new deal.
"It's no risk for Netflix but saves them both reputationally."
The only real hit from their partnership was the 2022 documentary Harry & Meghan, which became Netflix's fifth most-watched documentary series of all time.
Everything since then flopped.
Prince Harry's Polo documentary ranked 3,436th most-watched show with only 500,000 views.
The animated series Pearl that Meghan developed got canceled in 2022 before it even launched.
Royal author Duncan Larcombe said Harry and Meghan "sold themselves out" to Netflix and now they've "run out of truth bombs."
"If viewers are turning off in their droves, then companies like Netflix are ruthless and they're not going to carry them just because they're Duke and Duchess of Sussex," Larcombe told The Mirror.
Meghan is reportedly focusing on her lifestyle brand As Ever, selling jam, honey, and other products.
But even that faced criticism from industry professionals who called her apricot spread "a real disappointment" and questioned whether "whoever is making [Markle's] spread doesn't know what they are doing."
Meghan's Hollywood reinvention crashed and burned because she tried to build a brand on royal status instead of actual expertise.
Turns out viewers can tell the difference between someone who knows what they're talking about and someone playing dress-up in a rental mansion.
Sources:
- Ashley Papa and Stephanie Nolasco, "Meghan Markle's Hollywood dream crumbles as viewers tune out 'inauthentic' series: experts," Fox News, January 25, 2026.
- "Struggling Netflix reality series reportedly canceled after 2 seasons," Netflix Life, January 23, 2026.
- "Stats Reveal How Badly Meghan Markle's Netflix Show Flopped," The Daily Beast, January 22, 2026.
- "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'sold themselves out' amid Netflix struggles," GB News, January 25, 2026.
- "Meghan Markle's 2025 Made Her a Lifestyle Influencer With Bad Reviews," Newsweek, December 2025.
- "Meghan Markle Fails To Crack Netflix Top Ten With Season 2 Of 'With Love, Meghan'," Deadline, September 2, 2025.
- "Why Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's New Netflix Deal Is Being Described as a 'Downgrade'," SheKnows, August 11, 2025.
- "Martha Stewart questions Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand's authenticity," The Express Tribune, July 31, 2025.
