Not lots of love.
Superstar chef Jameson Shares claims he turned down a suggestion from Netflix to work on Meghan Markle’s new cooking collection, “With Love, Meghan,” to keep away from public scrutiny and creating one thing “forced and fake.” Nonetheless, sources near manufacturing have advised The Put up that Shares, 41, was by no means approached to be part of the collection.
“Chef Jameson Stocks was not invited to participate in ‘With Love, Meghan,’ and any claims to the contrary are incorrect,” the insider stated.
“Jameson himself doesn’t even know which show it was for—he noted ‘he thinks it was for this show,’” the supply continued, whereas cautioning in opposition to “taking his assumption as fact.”
Shares spoke in regards to the Duchess of Sussex’s present throughout a current interview with GB Information, sharing why he was skeptical of signing onto the present and his ideas on the primary season, which dropped on Monday.
“I was asked last year by Netflix if I wanted to consult on a lifestyle program,” the Michelin-starred chef advised the outlet. “They didn’t go into too much detail about who it was but I already kind of knew anyway,” he added, implying that he knew they had been asking him about Markle’s present.
He continued, “I felt like even if she produced a really great program — which I was quite skeptical of — that I might get a little bit slammed for being a part of it.”
“I didn’t like the idea of me showing her how to do something and then it being forced and fake,” he defined.
Referring to the manufacturing group that is likely to be concerned in making a present like Markle’s, Shares stated, “I imagine Netflix would have had two or three consultants — a stylist, for her clothes, to give her ideas for the food.”
“If she is going to do something herself, she should do something herself. Netflix is obviously such a huge company, they’re going to surround her with quality people to make her look good. At the end of the day, they’re trying to chase the money.”
As for what he considered the eight-episode first season, which options Meghan’s well-known mates Mindy Kaling and her former “Suits” co-star Abigail Spencer, Shares stated, “I honestly thought it was terrible.”
“Everything — the music is quite slow, it’s quite lethargic, it’s quite painful to watch,” he went on.
“I think she should go back to acting,” he recommended. “She’s quite a good actress. In real life or on screen. People should stick to what they do best.”
Shares was not alone in his tackle the present, with some critics calling it “pointless,” “exhausting” and “boring.”
These evaluations didn’t appear to section Netflix, nonetheless. On Friday, the streamer introduced they’d renewed “With Love, Meghan” for Season 2 and that manufacturing on the second season was already wrapped.
Sources completely revealed to The Put up that filming for Season 2 had begun by at the least January.
Director Michael Steed, who labored on Season 1, commented on Markle’s abilities within the kitchen in an interview with Folks. “Her cooking is pretty spot-on,” he stated of the mom of two. “She’s not a chef, and it’s definitely not meant to make it seem like she is, but there’s just a love of cooking that is palpable.”
Steed additionally described the previous “Suits” star as “friendly” and praised her for making a “comfortable environment” for everybody engaged on the present.
One crew member on the present additionally advised the outlet that Meghan was extremely “warm,” “approachable” and “genuine.”
“She made sure everyone felt included, from Netflix executives to our director to every PA on set,” the individual stated. “No one was left out.”
Markle and her husband Prince Harry, 40, signed a $100 million deal with Netflix in 2020 after stepping down from their roles as senior working members of the royal household earlier that yr. Along with “With Love, Meghan,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have launched two different docuseries on Netflix: “Harry & Meghan” in 2022, and Harry’s “Polo” doc in December 2024.
