Meghan Markle's 'Archetypes' podcast finds new home after Spotify exit
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has found a new home for her podcast, "Archetypes."
In a new deal announced Tuesday, Meghan's 12-episode podcast series will be available to stream on all audio platforms starting this spring through Lemonada Media, a podcast network.
In addition to distributing "Archetypes," the company is also partnering with Meghan to host a new, original podcast series, details of which have not yet been released.
"I'm proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting," Meghan said in a statement shared by Lemonada Media. "Being able to support a female founded company with a roster of thought provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024. Our plan to re-release Archetypes so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works. I’m so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family."
The return to podcasting for Meghan comes nearly one year after a much-heralded podcasting deal with Spotify came to an end for Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry.
Spotify and Archewell Audio, Harry and Meghan's production company, confirmed last June that they had "mutually agreed to part ways."
When the deal between Spotify and the Sussexes was announced in late 2020 -- shortly after Harry and Meghan left their senior royal roles -- it was described by Spotify as a multi-year partnership that would see Harry and Meghan both hosting and producing podcasts with the goal of building "community through shared experience, narratives and values."
The only podcast series that came from the partnership with Harry and Meghan was "Archetypes," a series hosted by Meghan that examined the stereotypes and labels faced by women.
The podcast -- which featured interviews with Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Issa Rae and more -- won a People's Choice Award for top podcast in 2022 and a Gracie for digital media in 2023.
Meghan, who lives in California with Harry and their two children, described "Archetypes" as a "labor of love" in celebrating the People's Choice Award win.
"I loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up late at night in bed, working on the writing and creative," Meghan said in a statement at the time. "And I loved digging deep into meaningful conversation with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them, and with each of you listening."
Meghan's new home for podcasting, Lemonada Media, also produces podcasts hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Samantha Bee.
The company was founded in 2019 by Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
Cordova Kramer said in a statement that the Lemonada team is "thrilled to co-create a new series with [Meghan] that fosters her approach to creating art that matters."
"As we’ve started development with The Duchess of Sussex, we are blown away by her collaborative spirit and clear vision, along with her deep desire to build compassion and community through this work," Wittels Wachs added. "The Lemonada team felt immediate kinship with Meghan and the Archewell Productions team, and we are delighted to be working together."
