Meghan and Harry Spotify: what happened to podcast deal - is Archetypes podcast being dropped?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s deal with Spotify has ended after the podcast she hosted was not renewed for a second season. The parting of the ways was confirmed by a statement from Archewell Audio, the couple’s content creation label, and Spotify.

The joint statement from Archwell and Spotify said: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”

What is the Archetypes podcast?

Archetypes is a podcast hosted by Markle in which she talked to celebrities, historians and experiences about the history of stereotypes levelled against women. Some of the guests to have appeared on the podcast include the likes of tennis star Serena Williams, singer Mariah Carey, actors Mindy Kaling and Constance Wu, and socialite Paris Hilton.  

The first season of Archetypes ran for 12 episodes from August 2022, following the deal struck by the Sussex’s and Spotify to host and produce podcasts, estimated to be worth around 25 million US dollars (£18 million), in late 2020.

In December, Archetypes won the top podcast award at the People’s Choice Award in Los Angeles.

Meghan wrote on the couple’s Archewell website at the time: “I loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up late at night in bed, working on the writing and creative. And I loved digging deep into meaningful conversation with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them. It has been such a labour of love.”

Each episode of the show clocked in a roughly an hour long, with the full breakdown of episodes going as follows:

1. The Misconception of Ambition with Serena Williams
2. The Duality of Diva with Mariah Carey
3. The Stigma of the Singleton with Mindy Kaling
4. The Demystification of Dragon Lady with Margaret Cho & Lisa Ling
5. The Decode of Crazy with Deepika Padukone, Jenny Slate and Constance Wu
6. Breaking Down ‘The Bimbo’ with Paris Hilton & Iliza Shlesinger 
7. Upending the ‘Angry Black Woman’ Myth with Issa Rae & Ziwe 
8. Good Wife/Bad Wife, Good Mom/Bad Mom with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Pamela Adlon and Sam Jay
9. To B or not to B? with Mellody Hobson & Victoria Jackson
10. The Audacity of the Activist with Jameela Jamil & Shohreh Aghdashloo
11. Beyonce the Archetype: Human, Being with Michaela Jae Rodriguez & Candance Bushnell
12. Man-ifesting a Cultural Shift with Trevor Noah, Andy Cohen and Judd Apatow