Meghan Markle’s podcast has not been renewed for a second season on Spotify, the streaming company told Insider on Thursday.
Markle and Prince Harry’s production company, Archewell Productions, and Spotify wrote in a joint statement that the companies had “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series” they made together.
“The podcast will no longer be produced at Spotify as we are mutually parting ways,” a spokesperson for Archewell Audio, the couple’s production company, added to Insider.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, would not get the full $20 million payout from their deal with Spotify, citing people familiar with the matter. Archewell did not produce enough content to be eligible for the full payout, the New York Post reported, citing a source close to the situation on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Spotify declined to comment about why Markle’s podcast would not be continued and how much the Sussexes were set to receive from their deal. The Archewell spokesperson said the production company would not provide any financial details about the settlement agreement.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed the deal with Spotify in late 2020. The “Archetypes” podcast was the only project Archewell Audio completed for Spotify, according to the Journal. It’s not clear how many other projects they were supposed to deliver.
“Archetypes” debuted in August 2022 and shot to the top of Spotify’s charts in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The 12-episode podcast focused on labels that held women back and featured big-name guests, including the tennis legend Serena Williams, the singer Mariah Carey, and the celebrity Paris Hilton.
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The news about Markle’s podcast comes amid a downturn in the tech and media sectors. Spotify has already laid off about 800 people this year. Spotify said its second round of job cuts in June was part of a “strategic realignment” of its podcast division.
Prince Harry and Markle left their royal roles in 2020, citing a desire to “work to become financially independent.” The New York Times reported that the couple signed a $100 million deal with Netflix after moving to the US, the value of which Netflix declined to comment on at the time.
The couple’s docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” was a hit with US viewers, and Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir, “Spare,” also broke sales records when it hit shelves in January.
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