Prince Harry, Meghan Markle split from Spotify after podcast not renewed for second season — doing just one cost full $20M deal
Meghan Markle’s “Archetypes” Spotify podcast will not be renewed for a second season, The Post can confirm.
A source close to the situation told The Post on Thursday that the Archewell media company launched by Prince Harry, 38, and Markle, 41, didn’t produce enough content to receive the full payout of the roughly $20 million deal the couple signed in 2020.
The news comes after struggling Spotify announced this month it will cut 200 jobs as it reimagines its approach to podcasting.
In a joint statement to The Post, Spotify and Archewell Audio said they have “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”
“Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform,” an Archewell Productions spokeswoman added to The Wall Street Journal.
Meghan Markle hosted 12 episodes of “Archetypes.” Spotify
The Post has contacted reps for Harry and Markle for comment.
“Archetypes,” which explored the labels that hold women back, was the only project the couple produced for Spotify during their two-and-a-half-year partnership.
The podcast premiered in August 2022.
There were just 12 episodes of “Archetypes,” which featured guests such as Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, and Paris Hilton.
Markle and Prince Harry leave The Ziegfeld Theatre on May 16 in NYC. GC Images
Each episode typically ran about an hour.
The Duchess of Sussex put the podcast on pause in September during the official mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II.
Trevor Noah, Andy Cohen, and Judd Apatow appeared on the final “Archetypes” episode, “Man-ifesting A Cultural Shift,” which dropped Nov. 29.
Harry and Markle signed their deal with Spotify in 2020. Getty Images
Harry and Markle also signed a deal with Netflix in 2020 for an estimated $100 million.
Their six-part, tell-all docuseries “Harry & Meghan” was a smash hit for the streamer last year.
Harry also shocked the world with his 400-page memoir “Spare,” which was released in January.
As for what’s next for Markle, the former “Suits” actress and her WME team may be looking to land film and TV production gigs, brand partnerships, and “overall business-building,” but a return to acting will not be an area of focus.
Source: New York Post
