Accusations of potential hypocrisy are currently swirling around Jeremy Zimmer, CEO of United Talent Agency (UTA), following his recent disparaging remarks about Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. An industry insider alleges that Zimmer's commentary may be a reaction to UTA's unsuccessful bid to secure the Duchess as a client.
Industry sources revealed to Page Six that UTA was "in serious pursuit" of Markle's talents. They stated that despite Zimmer's recent criticism, multiple UTA agents had been actively seeking to represent Markle, one of whom was reportedly pursuing her quite recently.
However, claims of the Duchess' interactions with these agents have been contested by other insiders. Despite the purported pursuit, it's reported that there has been no direct contact between Markle and the agents in question. Representatives for both Markle and UTA are yet to respond to these allegations.
Zimmer's contentious statements about Markle emerged during the 2023 Cannes Lions advertising festival. Speaking at the La Majestic, he stated, "Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent. And, you know, just because you're famous doesn't make you great at something."
Reactions to Zimmer's comments from industry peers were swift and unfavorable. An anonymous A-list talent manager was particularly vocal, citing it as "mind-blowing" and adding, "As an agent, you never publicly discuss your own talent or anyone else's."
Even a rival agent from UTA didn't hold back, decrying Zimmer's public disrespect of Markle as "a shocking display of bad taste". Questions have been raised about the impact of Zimmer's statements on UTA's reputation, with another leading figure remarking, "Who wants to sign with someone who trashes people like that in public?"
Markle parted ways with Spotify three years after signing a multi-million dollar contract to produce original content with the music streaming giant under her and Prince Harry's Archewell Audio banner. Since then, it's been revealed that Markle inked a deal with WME, a rival of UTA, in April to assist in her future endeavors.
WME is set to represent Markle and Prince Harry's content creation companies, Archewell Audio and Archewell Productions. A statement from WME indicated that they plan to help build out Markle's business ventures across multiple areas, including film and television production, brand partnerships, and more.
Brad Slater, Dwayne Johnson's representative, and Jill Smoller, Serena Williams' long-time agent, currently serve as Markle's day-to-day agents. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel is also said to be heavily involved with her new projects and checks up on her daily. Markle has been described as a "crown jewel" for WME by Variety.
