Public attention on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, only heightens when they are embroiled in royal family disputes, as per ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith.
In an installment of "The Stephen A. Smith Show", Smith aired his views regarding the cancellation of the Sussexes' agreement with Spotify and the non-renewal of Meghan's podcast, "Archetypes", after just a single season. He suggested that the couple only piques public curiosity when they openly clash with the British royal family.
"Unless Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex are taking issue with the royal family, I'm doubtful anyone's particularly interested in what they have to say," Smith commented.
Smith didn't dismiss Meghan's talents, though. "I'm not implying Meghan is lacking in talent. She did an outstanding job on 'Suits'... I'm a fan of 'Suits'," he added. "What I am stating is that, unless they're throwing verbal jabs at their family, no one seems especially keen on hearing what they have to say."
Smith's remarks were in response to last week's controversial comments from Bill Simmons, the CEO of The Ringer and Spotify's head of podcast innovation and monetization. Simmons termed Prince Harry and Markle as "f---ing grifters" following the termination of their Spotify deal.
Simmons shared, "'The f---ing grifters.' That should've been the podcast's title. One night, I should get inebriated and tell the story of my Zoom meeting with Harry while helping him brainstorm a podcast idea. It's a tale for the books."
Simmons, a former ESPN personality and sports journalist, has a history of criticizing Prince Harry. In January, he expressed his embarrassment over sharing the Spotify platform with the prince, saying, "What value does he add? He just grumbles incessantly and keeps giving interviews... Who's interested in your life story? You weren't even the preferred son... I have no patience for him."
Kinsey Schofield, a royal commentator and author, also spoke about the termination of the Sussexes' Spotify deal and Meghan's "Archetypes" podcast. During an interview on Sky News Australia, she referred to the couple as "incredibly boring."
Schofield, the host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, said, "It's challenging to listen to a woman lecture about feminism when you know she rose to prominence by marrying a prince. The reason she has this platform to condescend is because she married a man, and that's principally why she has this opportunity."
