Jimmy Fallon is the latest to poke fun at Meghan Markle, taking a playful jab at her Netflix show during a segment on The Tonight Show.
While hosting a trivia game, Fallon’s sidekick, Steve Higgins, posed a quirky question: “Why does Meghan Markle make her own pretzel bags?” Fallon, clearly amused, responded, “She takes it from one bag and puts it in another bag, and that confuses people.” The audience erupted in laughter, recognizing the reference to With Love, Meghan, where Markle is seen repackaging store-bought pretzels into custom bags, tying them with a bow, and adding an unnecessary peanut allergy label—even though she already knew her friend had no such allergy.
The moment became infamous because Markle meticulously removed pretzels from their perfectly functional, factory-sealed bag and transferred them into her own plastic packaging, as if this small act somehow elevated the snack. She then carefully sealed it with a decorative ribbon before placing a “Contains Peanuts” label on it, despite full awareness that her friend, Daniel Martin, had no allergy concerns. Her reasoning? According to Markle, one must always be considerate of potential nut allergies—a nugget of wisdom that some might say could only come from years of royal etiquette training.
Then there was the homemade jam. In what some interpreted as a calculated PR move, Markle sent limited-edition jars of her own jam to an exclusive list of A-listers—one of whom happened to be Jimmy Fallon. According to royal commentator Neil Sean, one might have assumed that a personalized gift would buy her some goodwill with the late-night host. However, that didn’t stop Fallon from joining the growing chorus of Hollywood figures who now find amusement at her expense.
Once upon a time, Hollywood seemed to handle Markle with careful diplomacy, keeping its distance from controversy. But the tide has shifted. Now, she appears to be more of a punchline than a power player. Fallon’s joke is just another indication that she has transitioned from an aspiring Hollywood elite to a prime target for late-night comedy.
If there’s any silver lining for Markle, it’s that she’s inadvertently keeping comedians and tabloids well-fed. Every overly staged gesture, every carefully curated “homemade” moment, every awkward attempt to stay relevant fuels the entertainment industry’s content machine. Even her harshest critics might admit—intentionally or not—she’s doing an excellent job of keeping everyone else in business.
As for Fallon, it’s likely he enjoyed that jar of jam before discarding it in the same pile as Markle’s invitation to The Tonight Show. After all, she’s been ghosted by the program more than once. First, in 2022, when her scheduled appearance was mysteriously pulled following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, and later that year when NBC unexpectedly announced she would be a guest—only for her loyal biographer Omid Scobie to quickly correct the record, revealing that no such appearance was happening.
Prince Harry, on the other hand, did make it onto Fallon’s show—but not as an esteemed guest. Instead, he participated in a haunted house segment, where he was filmed screaming his way through the experience.
So where does Markle go from here? More handcrafted jam deliveries? A new Netflix special on the art of repackaging? Perhaps a TED Talk on the importance of over-labeling peanut snacks? One thing is certain: If she continues on this trajectory, she won’t have to worry about the British press being her biggest critics—Hollywood seems more than happy to take over that role.
