One of the biggest failures of the Windsors and the British press was their underestimation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s support-base in America. There is the general support and affection many Americans have for Meghan and Harry, but there’s something else too – the Sussexes have a huge amount of support from some very powerful cultural figures in America. That’s why the Windsors and the British press freaked out so hard over Tyler Perry giving the Sussexes a place to stay for months in 2020, and why they freaked out so hard over the Oprah interview. Despite their Oprah-Who-ing, they knew that Oprah was and is one of the most powerful cultural figures in America and beyond. It also goes unsaid that Meghan in particular gets tons of support from Black celebrities and Black businesswomen. Well, the Daily Mail has been screaming nonstop for the past week that Meghan’s absence from the Met Gala means that “nothing is working” and everyone is “done” with her. But now a different Mail columnist is saying… no, actually, Meghan has the support of several key players.
Meghan is supported by a network of power players: At the centre of this group of power-players is a tight, carefully curated circle of four women, all billionaires and all deeply embedded in Hollywood power. They are the stratospherically famous TV star Oprah Winfrey and the less well-known, at least in the UK, former Starbucks chair Mellody Hobson, US TV titan Shonda Rhimes – the producer behind Bridgerton – and diplomat Nicole Avant, who is married to the co-CEO of Netflix Ted Sarandos… Sources tell me they are part of a wider, informal but highly active group of influential figures, many based between Montecito and Los Angeles, who remain in regular contact via private messaging groups and off-camera conversations. This extended circle is said to include film producer Tyler Perry, TV personality Gayle King, and even Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. ‘They are all incredibly busy, they are not sitting having brunch every week,’ one source says. ‘But if one of them needs something, advice, funding, a contact, they show up. That is how power works at that level.’
Oprah’s influence: While Oprah, 72, and Meghan rarely appear together publicly, they now live minutes from each other in Montecito and see each other regularly, meeting privately. I am told Oprah sends Meghan’s children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, fruit from her own garden, and also gives presents for Christmas, Easter and birthdays. But Oprah’s influence also extends into the couple’s social calendar, shaping where Meghan is seen and, just as importantly, where she is not. I can reveal it was Oprah who encouraged Meghan and Harry to attend Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday party on November 8 last year, a lavish James Bond-themed soiree at Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’s Beverly Hills mansion.
Kris Jenner’s party: The goal was for Meghan to rub shoulders with key power-players, including Bezos himself. After the event, however, the couple famously requested the removal of photos posted online by Kim Kardashian and Jenner. Publicly, sources cited sensitivity around Remembrance Day in the UK, but I’m told it wasn’t just that: the truth is, the Sussexes still want to be seen as above the celebrity frenzy. The same calculation applied to the wedding of Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, which took place in Venice last June. The couple were invited but chose not to attend, not because of any feud, but because they knew it would be a media storm and they would be called opportunists.
Mellody Hobson’s role: Less visible, but arguably just as important, is Meghan’s ‘mentor number two’, Mellody Hobson. Chief executive of Ariel Investments, former chair of Starbucks, the 57-year-old is married to Star Wars film-maker George Lucas and operates at the intersection of finance, media and influence. ‘She doesn’t give her time to just anyone. Duchess or dinner lady, Mellody is selective,’ a source close to Hobson tells me. ‘That’s because she lends credibility to anyone she associates with.’ Hobson appeared on Meghan’s Archetypes podcast in November 2022 – a rare public endorsement – but a business associate of Hobson tells me she has counselled Meghan at length in private and shared business tips about ownership, intellectual property and long-term control of content.
Shonda Rhimes & Nicole Avant: Then there is Shonda Rhimes, one of the most powerful figures in TV and a key architect of Netflix’s success through hits like Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton. The 56-year-old’s support matters less in a visible, promotional sense and more in terms of positioning. Meghan and Harry’s Netflix deal may have cooled, but relationships inside that ecosystem still count. In an industry where access is everything, Rhimes remains a gatekeeper. A producer who has worked with both women tells me Rhimes is also close to diplomat Nicole Avant, further cementing the Netflix thread running through Meghan’s entire network.
Avant & Meghan are still tight: It is here that the narrative currently circulating – that Avant is somehow at odds with Meghan – begins to unravel. ‘That’s just not what I’ve seen,’ a Netflix insider tells me. ‘The opposite, in fact.’ Sources familiar with their dynamic describe ongoing contact and continued alignment within the same professional and philanthropic circles. The suggestion of a falling out is described by one Netflix insider as ‘misread noise rather than reality’.
Meghan is working on her autobiography. For years, it has hovered as rumour, occasionally acknowledged, never confirmed in full detail. She has, according to those familiar with the process, been taking notes for years, not casually, but methodically. A publishing insider tells me: ‘Voice notes on her phone at 1am. Written journals. Structured reflections. She has been documenting everything since before Megxit.’ The value of that material is obvious. A memoir from Meghan would not just be a book. It would be a multi-platform event, with global publishing rights, an interview special, and a streaming component. It is expected to be bigger than Harry’s Spare, which sold more than 1.4million copies on its first day of release in January 2023. Publishing experts tell me Meghan’s book could easily surpass those numbers.
What Meghan wants the book to be: Sources say Meghan wants the book to be both a record-setter and a reset, telling her version of events while also charting her success in America. ‘She does not want it to be a book of grievances,’ one insider tells me. ‘She wants it to reflect where she is going, not just where she has been.’ I am told she is acutely aware of the fallout that followed the Oprah interview and Harry’s Spare, and is determined to strike a careful balance. ‘There are things she could say that would dominate headlines,’ the source adds. ‘But she is weighing that against the bigger picture.’
You can believe this or not, I have no idea. My take is that there are absolutely some truths here, especially about Meghan and Nicole Avant’s relationship and Mellody Hobson’s endorsement and strategic advice. I absolutely buy that Avant and Hobson are super-close to Meghan and they’re advising her. What I don’t buy is all of the sh-t about Meghan’s memoir. Don’t get me wrong, I would love for Meghan to write her story and let the chips fall where they may. I just don’t think she’s going to do it any time soon. Still, it’s good to keep that gossip out there as an implied threat.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
