Dolly Parton Turned Down Meghan Markle’s Invite to Guest Star in Netflix Show
In a move that proves even ex-royalty doesn’t always get a “yes,” Dolly Parton just turned down an invitation from Meghan Markle to guest star on her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan….
In a move that proves even ex-royalty doesn’t always get a “yes,” Dolly Parton just turned down an invitation from Meghan Markle to guest star on her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.
Dolly Parton Refused Meghan Markle’s Invitation
Celebrity commentator Kinsey Schofield claimed on a podcast appearance on The Nerve with Maureen Callahan (via Page Six) that the country music legend turned down the Duchess of Sussex’s invitation. Schofield said, “They don’t want to risk Dolly’s reputation Q score [and] her popularity by associating with Meghan Markle.”
She added, “They knew that this ask was just to give Meghan Markle credibility in this lifestyle space, a space that Dolly does have a lot of credibility in. Dolly is not only incredibly popular and loved by the general public, but she also is somebody who can float around within these different places.”
Schofield also alleged that Parton’s team “feels like Meghan was trying to take advantage of her popularity.” She also added that Parton’s authenticity would have led to a “spontaneous combustion of good versus evil” if she appeared in the “fake kitchen” of a “fake royal.”
With Love, Meghan
Despite Parton turning down her invitation, the show still had notable guests including actresses Mindy Kaling (whom she infamously called out in the show for repeatedly calling her as Meghan Markle) and Abigail Spencer, chefs Roy Chou and Alice Waters, socialite Delfina Blaquier, entrepreneurs Victoria Jackson and Vicky Tsai, and literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh.
The show ranked among the streaming platform’s Global Top 10 TV shows in terms of viewership. However, reviews of the show on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic are “generally unfavorable.” In a surprising move, despite the hate and criticisms, Netflix renewed the show for another season.
Aside from the backlash for the show, particularly with not shooting in Markle’s own kitchen and rumors of her ripping off Pamela Anderson’s own cooking show, Pamela’s Cooking with Love, the controversial duchess also found herself embroiled in several plagiarism issues.
Markle rebranded her American Riviera lifestyle brand to As Ever. However, as it turns out, there is a clothing brand based in New York City that is also called “As Ever” and has been in the business since 2017. The mayor of Porreres (a municipality in Mallorca), Xisca Mora, also claimed that the Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever lifestyle brand logo is an “exact copy” of their town’s emblem.
As of this writing, the logo and name are still used on the brand’s Instagram page.
