Brooke Shields Finally Explains Why She 'Took A Dig' At Meghan Markle: 'I Had To Interrupt'

Brooke Shields finally spoke on a much-talked-about moment involving Meghan Markle during a South by Southwest (SXSW) panel earlier this year. Speaking on a podcast hosted by India Hicks, the American actress explained why she interrupted the Duchess of Sussex mid-speech, an action that stirred considerable attention online.

The panel, held in Austin, Texas, in March 2024 to mark International Women's Day, featured journalist Katie Couric as moderator, with Markle and Shields among the speakers. What was meant to be a discussion on women's advocacy turned unexpectedly awkward when Shields felt the atmosphere was growing too heavy.

Brooke Says Markle's Account Was 'Too Precious'

According to Shields, the moment came when Meghan began recounting a story from her childhood, a familiar tale the Duchess has shared in the past. 'Katie asks the first question to Meghan and she talks about how at a young age, she was already advocating for women,' Shields recalled.

Markle was describing how, at age 11, she had written to Procter & Gamble to protest a dish soap commercial that implied only women wash dishes.

'She starts telling a story about how when she was 11, she kept saying, 'Well, when I was 11, I saw this commercial and they were talking about how washing dishes was for women,' Shields recalled. 'And she said, 'I didn't think only women wash dishes. It wasn't fair. So I wrote to the company.'

While Shields acknowledged Markle's experience as meaningful, she confessed that it felt overly polished for the setting.

'I was like, they're not going to want to sit here for 45 minutes and listen to anybody be precious or serious,' Shields said during the podcast. She explained that she felt compelled to shift the tone for the sake of engagement.

Brooke Was Trying to Break the Tension

Feeling that the room was moving in a heavy direction, Shields decided to step in. 'I go, 'Excuse me, I'm so sorry, I've got to interrupt you there for one minute,' she said. 'I was trying not to be rude, but I wanted to be funny because it was so serious.'

The interruption was somewhat levity. Drawing on her controversial childhood role, Shields said, 'I just want to give everybody here a context as to how we're different. When I was 11, I was playing a prostitute.' The reference was to her part in the 1978 film Pretty Baby.

Her comment, by her account, changed the mood in the room. 'The place went insane,' she said, suggesting that the audience appreciated the shift in tone. 'The room relaxed,' she added.

Podcast Controversy and Fallout

The remarks, however, weren't universally well-received. The clip featuring Shields's comments appeared on India Hicks's Substack podcast but was later quietly removed. Hicks, King Charles III's goddaughter and daughter of interior designer David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks, did not give a public explanation for the deletion.

The decision followed a wave of social media criticism, particularly from Meghan Markle's supporters. Both Shields and Hicks were reportedly targeted with offensive messages after the episode was posted.

The podcast episode, released ten days before its removal, gained traction online and drew international attention. It has since been replaced on Hicks's site with an unrelated lifestyle feature, although some snippets from their conversation still exists on Hick's Instagram page.

Meanwhile, no statement has been issued by Meghan Markle or her team in response to Shields's recent remarks.

Shields's comments, despite being light-hearted in intent, sparked quite a frenzy online. And now that she has explained her point of view for interrupting the Duchess of Sussex, it hasn't closed the chapter and if anything, it seems to have opened a new one.