The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been pushing back on their harshest critics in recent days. I hope this is a new strategy we’ve seen in recent months, where the Sussexes and Archewell refuse to allow all of this nastiness to sit out there, festering in the public sphere. Justine Bateman outed herself as a hateful, MAGA-esque person after the election, pretending like the Biden administration was all about censoring her and her insurrectionist allies. Justine has found a new gravy train, in case you haven’t noticed – a has-been actress is now a self-styled MAGA cultural critic. She’s finding out that mentioning Harry and Meghan gets her the most attention too. Over the weekend, Justine saw the videos of Harry and Meghan visiting the Pasadena relief center and volunteering with wildfire evacuees, and Justine declared them “disaster tourists.” Sources close to the Sussexes already pushed back in People Mag, and now Page Six is running this exclusive:
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry feel Justine Bateman’s disparaging comments were “offensive” after they stepped up to help Los Angeles wildfire victims on Friday. The “Family Ties” alum labeled the couple “disaster tourists” as photos surfaced of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex distributing food and supplies to victims outside the Pasadena Convention Center.
“It’s offensive to Meghan and Harry that anybody would think this is merely a photo opportunity,” a source exclusively tells Page Six.
The pair currently live approximately 90 miles north of the city, however, our source says, “Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles so this is, and always will be, home to her.”
According to the insider, Markle, 43, is “not just a tourist” and “her heart is completely broken for all the lives that have been lost and for those whose homes have been destroyed in these fires.” Harry, 40, and Markle “invested significant time and resources, they have donated money and essential items.”
“They have also dedicated countless hours to volunteering, long before the media even caught wind of their involvement,” the source tells us.
Reps for the Sussexes and Bateman did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment. Bateman slammed the couple on X Saturday, writing that the couple “are no better than ambulance chasers.”
My thing is that if you want to be that person and try to critique the Sussexes’ volunteerism, why are you not applying the same critique to every celebrity volunteering or appearing on TV to talk about the Southern California fires? Lots of celebrities have spoken out about donating money or supporting their neighbors or taking people in. Meghan, a native Angeleno, brought her husband to her hometown and they volunteered at a relief center AND donated AND brought attention to World Central Kitchen’s work. Like… what are we doing here?
Photos & screencaps courtesy of Fox News, Cover Images, LA Fox affiliate and Sky News.
