United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer made headlines on Monday after he told news outlet Semafor that it “turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent.”
The duchess’ podcast production company (founded with Prince Harry), Archewell Audio, announced earlier this month that it had agreed to “part ways” with streaming giant Spotify after producing just 13 episodes of content over three years, in a multi-million-dollar contract signed with the company in 2020.
Zimmer, who has overseen an increased focus on audio at UTA, also said of Meghan: “And, you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”
UTA is one of Hollywood’s “big three” talent agencies, and Zimmer’s comments are notable as they come just weeks after Meghan was announced as the new star signing for rival firm William Morris Endeavour (WME).
Hollywood talent agency boss’ criticism that Meghan Markle is “no great audio talent”—following the news that she parted ways with podcast partner Spotify—comes just weeks after the royal signed with a rival company.
United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer made headlines on Monday after he told news outlet Semafor that it “turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent.”
The duchess’ podcast production company (founded with Prince Harry), Archewell Audio, announced earlier this month that it had agreed to “part ways” with streaming giant Spotify after producing just 13 episodes of content over three years, in a multi-million-dollar contract signed with the company in 2020.
Zimmer, who has overseen an increased focus on audio at UTA, also said of Meghan: “And, you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”
UTA is one of Hollywood’s “big three” talent agencies, and Zimmer’s comments are notable as they come just weeks after Meghan was announced as the new star signing for rival firm William Morris Endeavour (WME).
NEWSLETTER“We are honored to announce that WME now represents Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex in all areas,” the agency revealed on April 28.
“The agency will be focusing on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency & its broader ecosystem, including film & television production, brand partnerships & more.”
At WME, Meghan joins a roster of stars that include tennis legend pal Serena Williams and late-night host Stephen Colbert. In 2022, the duchess said she had ambitions to develop her skillset behind the camera, hoping to produce romantic comedies for the screen through her Archewell Productions company with Harry.
However, Zimmer’s comments come at a difficult time for the California-based royals as they have faced a round of public criticism since the announcement of their Spotify separation.
In the days after the announcement was made, the streaming giant’s head of podcast innovation slammed the couple, labeling them “f****** grifters” on an episode of his own show.
Bill Simmons told listeners of his eponymous podcast that he’d had personal contact with Prince Harry during their time with Spotify, and said he would reveal one of his “best stories” about the royal in future if he’d had a drink.