Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the parent company of talent agency WME, reportedly erupted in frustration after Meghan Markle allegedly threatened to use her royal connections to harm WME’s reputation.
Imagine Ari Emanuel in his opulent office, surrounded by trophies of his success, suddenly faced with an irate Meghan declaring herself a force to be reckoned with due to her royal status. Reportedly, Emanuel’s response was blunt: “You’re nobody.” The irony here is that, beyond Meghan and Harry, most of the world already knows this to be true. Prince Harry, who agreed to represent Meghan at WME, couldn’t have been blindsided by her dramatic approach.
If anything, he might have been wise to consult a "Guide to Managing Divas" before diving into this partnership. Emanuel’s suggestion that Meghan stop relying on her title to get ahead highlights the very core of the situation: that title is almost all she has left to leverage.
What else does Meghan bring to Hollywood? Her acting career was modest, her stint as a lifestyle guru was brief, and yet her royal connections remain the main calling card she’s managed to retain. Despite trying to downplay the royal association, she still seems to treat Hollywood like a royal gala, oblivious to the fact that her tiara, figuratively speaking, might be slipping. Fast forward more than a year since WME signed her, and what’s the return on investment? By industry standards, it’s barely anything, and as the younger generation might say—“bupkis.”
One has to wonder if WME, a company renowned for its talent scouting, should have seen the writing on the wall. After all, they’re not the first to misjudge Markle’s star potential. Her previous PR firm, Sunshine Sachs, reportedly parted ways with her due to unpaid bills and what some described as a challenging attitude. One would think these warning signs would have prompted WME to consider other promising, talented personalities instead.
Returning to the confrontation, one can almost envision Meghan, in a fit of exasperation, declaring, “I’ll unleash the royal Kraken!” Emanuel’s amused response—“Don’t threaten me”—adds a sitcom-like flair to the scene. Even if Meghan referenced other royals like Sophie or Anne, believing they’d intimidate WME, it’s doubtful the agency would feel anything but amusement.
In reality, Meghan’s “royal connections” seem less and less powerful as time goes on. The royals who hold genuine influence—King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Catherine—likely view these antics with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Day by day, Meghan’s association with the royal family appears less like an asset and more like an anchor holding her back.
