Why are people hate-watching Meghan Markle’s Netflix Show With Love, Meghan? Our review

When I began watching the Meghan Markle-led lifestyle show, I took a solemn oath to fly in with an open mind and leave any prejudices I may harbor against her by the door of her Montecito mansion—one she doesn’t live in. But the first few shots, where she’s enjoying bee farming, reminded me of a recent documentary chronicling David Beckham’s life. What’s with wealthy people and raising bees in their backyard with the help of a professional? Has bee farming become the new Bugatti with the hood down?

While I swatted those niggling doubts away, I was treated to some beautiful shots of her extracting honey—because honey seems to be the panacea for the wealthy set. Listen, you can catch flies or fans with honey, but what exactly is the goal here?

Every scene in the first episode felt contrived and orchestrated to showcase how lovely, amiable, and down-to-earth Meghan is. Her first guest at her not-so-humble home was her hairdresser bestie. Now, here’s the issue with that: Their friendship seemed to have a we-are-not-equals dynamic. Honestly, his job was to talk her up and marvel at her cucumber-chopping skills rather than be real with her. His wonderment and glee over her making a one-pot pasta in her fancy dish was baffling. Why was the dude so excited about pasta with no cream sauce?

Fortunately, her second guest—top producer and actress Mindy Kaling—was more real. That seemed more like a friendship of equals. The sprightly Mindy, who’s generally loved by most, was asking all the right questions, but Meghan seemed determined to steer the conversation to bolster her agenda. A casual remark about “Meghan Markle enjoying Jack in the Box” turned into a masterclass on how her last name is Sussex.

Now, here’s someone who shredded her life with British royalty, calling it reductive, yet her persistence in reminding everyone she’s blue blood by marriage hit all the sour notes. But then, I reminded myself that I had promised to be fair to Meghan, so I let it slide.

But watching her make a rainbow fruit platter by arranging all the fruits in semi-concentric circles dissolved that resolve. As a mother of three, I can vouch that if you manage to peel a banana and shovel a few pieces into your kids’ mouths, you’ve already emerged a winner. Sprinkling flowers from your non-existent garden on that plate? Never on the agenda.

This show feels like a blend of Martha Stewart’s aesthetics and Jamie Oliver’s accessibility. But somehow, Meghan’s saccharine personality just grated. No, Meghan—we don’t want to cut fruit and arrange it in perfect concentric circles. We just want our kids to eat it without choking on the peel.