Meghan Markle‘s fans have come to her defense after she faced a wave of backlash for receiving a Daytime Emmy nomination for her controversial Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan.
While the show earned a nod in the ‘Outstanding Lifestyle Series’ category, many critics argued that neither the Duchess of Sussex nor the series deserved the recognition due to its mixed (but predominantly negative) reviews and relatively short run on the streamer.
However, her supporters quickly hit back, insisting the nomination was “well-deserved” and that the mom-of-two receives far more criticism than she deserves. Keep reading for all the details…
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'With Love, Meghan' Is Nominated For A Daytime Emmy Despite Mixed Reviews
Meghan celebrated the nomination by sharing a promotional image from the series on Instagram alongside the caption: "A huge congratulations to the amazing crew, producers and team who worked on With Love, Meghan on Netflix. We are nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Series!"
The lifestyle series premiered on Netflix in March 2025 as part of Prince Harry and Meghan's multi-million-dollar deal with the streamer, and was filmed at a neighboring property near the couple's Montecito home rather than inside their own residence – a decision that sparked criticism from some viewers when the show first debuted.
The former Suits actress spent each episode cooking, crafting, gardening, and entertaining celebrity guests and apparent close friends, including Mindy Kaling, Roy Choi, Alice Waters, Chrissy Teigen, humanitarian and celebrity chef José Andrés, Brian Colgate, the owner of the Santa Barbara Fish Market, and many more.
While some viewers praised the series' cozy, aspirational feel, it also attracted plenty of criticism throughout its run. Teigen's appearance proved particularly divisive, with some viewers accusing Meghan of giving a platform to someone they viewed as a "bully" following the Cravings author's past online controversies.
Critics also questioned Meghan's friendship with The Mindy Project star, with some claiming the two women did not appear to know each other particularly well before filming. But the episode did go viral after Meghan made her now-famous "you know I'm Sussex now" comment during their conversation.
'With Love, Meghan' Sparks Backlash After Daytime Emmy Nomination
The show itself was also mocked by critics, who described it as "out of touch," "tone-deaf," and overly curated, among many other things, while Meghan sparked debate over some of her cooking demonstrations and "obvious" household tips. Others also questioned her food preparation practices and overall kitchen hygiene after she handled raw chicken while wearing multiple rings and bracelets, with some social media users even dubbing her "Salmonella Sussex."
Although With Love, Meghan debuted in Netflix's Global Top 10 with approximately 2.6M views during its first week, its audience declined in the weeks that followed before it dropped out of the streamer's weekly rankings. The series ultimately concluded after two seasons, prompting many social media users to question how it had secured an Emmy nomination.
"This has to be a joke," one Instagram user wrote after the nomination was announced. "What a laughable joke," a second commented, while a third added, "OMG it's not April 1st."
"Self-nominated I assume," a fourth wrote. "She bought it," a fifth speculated, as a sixth critic said: "I wonder how much they paid for that." "So, a show that only lasted two seasons gets nominated for an Emmy?" a seventh questioned, while an eighth remarked: "Now I've seen it all."
Fans Rush To Meghan Markle's Defense
Despite the backlash, Meghan's supporters were quick to defend her across social media, particularly in the comments of an Instagram Reel discussing Megyn Kelly's criticism of both the show and its Emmy nomination.
"Congrats Duchess for this amazing nomination. Let the haters choke on their bile," praised one fan. "I loved how beautiful the series was," echoed a second, as a third added: "Megyn Kelly is so obsessed with her. Obviously a very jealous person! Congratulations Meghan! You are unstoppable, girl!"
"I loved the show and hate that the endless scrutiny on her upended the production! She deserves soo much more respect than she gets!" exclaimed a fourth. A fifth even credited the show with helping them relax, writing: "Meghan Sussex's show decreased my blood pressure and I made some amazing dishes inspired by her show. Absolutely loved every episode. I want to watch a new episode a day for the rest of my life if I could. It is BEAUTIFUL and INSPIRATIONAL."
"I enjoyed every episode," agreed a sixth. "I honestly don't know why people hate her so much," wrote a seventh. "I loved every episode and so did millions of others," insisted an eighth. A ninth described the nomination as "well-deserved." "Fabulous news," concluded a tenth, followed by a heart-eyes emoji.
