The popular YouTuber, Shallon Lester, is challenging the portrayal of her in the Netflix docuseries backed by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Shocked by her surprise appearance in the series, Lester is threatening to bring a defamation case against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, according to an interview she gave to the New York Post.
Friends alerted Lester of her cameo in the docuseries' fifth episode of its six-part run. "My first reaction was disbelief because the notion of my appearance in it was far-fetched. Especially so, as neither I nor my team had been consulted or even notified," Lester remarked.
The social media influencer expressed bewilderment at the depiction in the docuseries, suggesting that she was part of an orchestrated online hate campaign against the Sussexes. After viewing the segment, she was compelled to reach out to her lawyer.
Lester conceded to being critical of the Sussexes online, citing that as a right tied to her platform. "Yes, I am critical of them online, that's my prerogative. It's a platform for sharing opinions," she explained.
Nevertheless, Lester alleges that the insinuations made in the docuseries have had negative repercussions on her online content creation enterprise. She discussed her plan to sue the Sussexes over their Netflix documentary during a conversation with GB News host, Dan Wootton.
In a light-hearted quip, Lester took issue with being portrayed as middle-aged and a housewife in the docuseries. However, her serious contention lies with the documentary's alleged lack of journalistic integrity. "My expectations of documentaries are rooted in the values of fact-checking, honesty, and integrity. This documentary seems to present a conspiracy theory as truth without substantiating evidence," Lester asserted.
Lester argued that the world is weary of the narrative spun by Harry and Meghan and warned against the consequences of making false and defamatory claims. "At some point, you have to take responsibility for these unsubstantiated claims. That responsibility, it seems, starts with me," she professed.
Wootton highlighted that Lester's YouTube channel critiques numerous public figures, suggesting that the Sussexes might be overly sensitive to her criticism. Lester clarified her stance, stating, "I'm okay with them disliking the criticism. However, accusing me of things and portraying them as facts crosses the line into defamation. That's where I take issue."
Thus far, there has been no public response from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle regarding Lester's allegations.
In the contentious docuseries segment, Christopher Bouzy, the CEO of Bot Sentinel, claimed that they traced 70% of the online animosity against Markle to just 83 social media accounts, predominately operated by "middle-aged, Caucasian women." The segment features images of several women, including Lester, without naming them.
