The Duchess of Sussex’s long-awaited lifestyle series ‘With Love, Meghan’ is scheduled to launch this week on January 15, but experts are questioning the timing amid the ongoing wildfire disasters in Los Angeles, California.
Meghan’s new series is part of the Sussexes’ $100 million (£80 million) deal with Netflix but it comes amid the grim backdrop of the raging fires that have claimed several lives and caused widespread destruction.
Meghan and Prince Harry were seen visiting the World Central Kitchen in Pasadena, California, to help distribute food and supplies to victims this week.
Putting their efforts aside, scores of experts say Netflix should push back the release date of Meghan’s show. UK brand and culture expert Nick Ede told Mail Online: “I think Netflix bosses will be having to make some big decisions as whether to air ‘With Love, Meghan’ in the next week.”
The PR expert explained: “With the show being so centred on California life, Los Angeles and Montecito, providing a glimpse into aspirational and inspirational living, I suspect it will be pulled from its current schedule and delayed for at least a few months.”
He also explained to air such a show during a “tragic and difficult” time would come across as “insensitive and tone deaf”, but it would be possible to launch another time, as ‘With Love, Meghan’ was not time-sensitive.
Phil Dampier, the author of ‘Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words’, echoed the expert’s warning saying “the timing of Meghan’s Netflix show could hardly be worse as hundreds of people have lost their homes in the terrible fires”.
He told the MailOnline: “The last thing anyone is interested in is a programme about having friends round to eat canapés or arrange flowers when the city is going up in flames and people have lost everything.”
Phil further added: “Some critics had already panned it and now it just looks totally out of place. She had a lot riding on it and had been planning for months, if not a couple of years, so it’s very unfortunate for her.”
A promotional synopsis for the upcoming series ‘With Love, Meghan’, says: “This inspiring series, produced by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming, blending practical how-tos and candid conversation with friends, new and old.
“Meghan shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected. She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same.”
The couple are also executive producers of ‘Polo’ which aired in December 2024, and struggled to impress critics as it failed to make it in the Netflix Top 10 category in America, the UK, and globally.
