Meghan Markle's Brand Value 'As Appealing as Catching Covid' Claims Celebrity Chef

Meghan Markle's brand value has been likened to 'catching Covid' by a celebrity chef, who claims Netflix has effectively walked away from the Duchess of Sussex after the apparent collapse of her lifestyle series With Love, Meghan.

Speaking in a new interview about Meghan Markle and her stalled streaming career, celebrity chef Jameson Stocks argued that the Duchess' appeal as a standalone brand has evaporated and suggested the couple's multi‑million‑pound deal with Netflix has run out of road.

Stocks, a chef who says he has cooked for King Charles and is involved with The King's Trust, has become one of Meghan's most persistent critics in the media, focusing in particular on her ventures with the streaming giant. In an interview with the Daily Express, he said the trajectory was obvious long before the current uncertainty over With Love, Meghan.

'Netflix clearly wants nothing to do with her – their actions make that obvious. Her products are d‑listed, her show hasn't been renewed, and after embarrassing viewing figures, she's not even featured in the Netflix online shop,' he claimed. Netflix has not commented on those specific assertions.

Meghan Markle's Brand Value Under Fire After Netflix Setbacks

Stocks framed Meghan Markle's problems as fundamentally about brand value rather than one underperforming series. Comparing With Love, Meghan to long‑running food shows fronted by established personalities, he praised Gordon Ramsay's programmes as 'compelling because the subjects themselves are genuinely interesting, a talented person with a real personality'. By contrast, he said, Meghan's 'value as a standalone brand is about as appealing as catching Covid'.

Despite the early fanfare over their reported £80 million deal, the Sussexes' programmes have reportedly struggled to attract strong viewing figures.

Stocks argued that the entire Netflix partnership was built on a promise that has not held up. The couple's early projects, including two seasons of With Love, Meghan filmed back to back, launched amid a glossy comeback storyline for Meghan. N

ow, he says, the numbers tell a different story. 'Her popularity isn't nearly as strong as she believed, and the viewing numbers reflect that. People have grown tired of what they see as her nonsense,' he said.

'People Don't Care About Her; They're Far More Interested in Harry'

One of Stocks' sharper points is that the Sussex appeal, in his view, has always been more about the couple than the Duchess alone. 'She just doesn't have a strong enough personality to hold the audience's attention. Honestly, people don't care about her; they're far more interested in Harry,' he said.

He suggested that this is why viewers tuned into their joint documentary content in the first place: they wanted to observe the dynamic between the Duke and Duchess, not watch Meghan present herself as a lifestyle guru in isolation.

'I honestly don't think she even has a real brand. She's not Kim Kardashian or Gucci. Selling overpriced jams with her logo slapped on them doesn't make it a brand. And if her brand were truly that strong, Netflix wouldn't have cut ties,' he argued.

Stocks also cast doubt on her long‑term prospects in the entertainment industry. 'I feel like the doors are starting to close in Hollywood – people are beginning to see through her. Netflix spent huge amounts only to get slammed in the ratings,' he said.

In a separate remark, he went further still, trying to strip away the royal gloss that has surrounded Meghan Markle since she joined the Windsor family. 'People are always obsessed with the Royal Family, but honestly, if she weren't a royal, she'd probably still be some kind of Z‑list celebrity in Hollywood,' he said.

As of this reporting, none of Meghan's representatives, nor Netflix, are offering a response to Stocks' criticisms or to the suggestion that With Love, Meghan will not return. There is also no official confirmation of any termination of the Sussexes' overall deal with the platform.