Bill Simmons, who sold The Ringer to Spotify in 2020 and has risen through the tech company’s executive ranks, derided Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on his podcast Friday as “f–king grifters.”
The Sussexes and Spotify confirmed Thursday they have parted ways after signing a deal reportedly worth $20 million three years ago for their production company, Archewell. The pact was part of Spotify’s surge in spending on podcasting, a push including the roughly $200 million Ringer acquisition. More recently, the audio giant has scaled back and laid off staff, consolidating divisions and emphasizing the creator economy instead of big-ticket talent, though it still has Joe Rogan and a few other notable hosts on its podcast roster.
Simmons, who still runs the Ringer and is also Head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, made the comments on his eponymous podcast.
“The f-cking grifters. That’s the podcast we shoulda launched with them,” he said. “I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”
The comments surfaced on Twitter (see below) and were first reported by The Big Lead.
Among Archewell’s podcasts was Archetypes, which was hosted by Markle. The show explored the societal forces that have impeded the progress of women and welcomed guests like Trevor Noah, Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling and Serena Williams. It did not get a second-season renewal, though it could potentially resurface on another platform.
Markle last April signed with WME, with the agency also repping Archewell.
Simmons did not hold his tongue about the royal couple even during the time they were under contract with Spotify. Last January, he blasted Prince Harry, saying it was “embarrassing” to be affiliated with the same company.
“Shoot this guy to the sun,” Simmons groused, according to the Big Lead post. “I’m so tired of this guy. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about sh-t and keeps giving interviews. Who gives a sh-t? Who cares about your life? You weren’t even the favorite son. … You live in f-cking Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them.”
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