Reports infer Meghan Markle was not behind the decision to delay her Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’, as an insider has claimed the option to delay Meghan’s upcoming series would be “ultimately down to Netflix”.
A Hollywood executive told news outlet, The Daily Beast, that Meghan and Harry’s production company Archewell has “zero influence” on scheduling.
The Hollywood insider explained: “Netflix write the rules. It’s their world, we just get to play in it.”
It comes as the cooking and gardening eight-part series, ‘With Love, Meghan’, was set to drop this week on January 15 but will now be delayed until March 4 because of the sensitivity surrounding the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles which have now claimed the lives of 24 people.
Netflix issued a statement from Meghan Markle regarding her upcoming show, which read: “I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California.”
The death toll from the wildfires surged late Sunday with an update from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. The National Weather Service also issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions in the area through Wednesday, with sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph) and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 mph (113 kph).
After Meghan and Harry faced criticism about the timing of the show coupled with the sensitivity of the on-going situation, it has now officially been postponed.
The couple journeyed to a volunteer shelter in Pasadena in California on January 10 to meet the city’s mayor, Victor Gordo, and emergency workers tackling the Eaton Fire. Here they helped the team and were seen on hand serving meals to people who had fled their homes and were forced to evacuate.
Victor Gordo, praised the couple’s efforts, saying Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, “really buoyed the spirits of the first responders”. People Magazine understands the couple donated essential supplies, served meals with World Central Kitchen and connected with affected families and elderly individuals.
The decision to delay the Netflix production comes as critics voiced opinions about the “insensitivity” of the timing if the show went ahead.
UK brand and culture expert Nick Ede told Mail Online 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’, also 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 also felt Meghan could be disappointed with the decision: “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.”