Jimmy Fallon recently poked fun at Meghan Markle by joking about her making pretzel bags on her Netflix show, making him the latest American celebrity to do so.
On Monday’s episode of NBC’s The Tonight Show, Fallon participated in a ‘Trivia Night’ segment with his sidekick Steve Higgins, who asked him a series of questions.
During the game, one of the questions Higgins posed to Fallon was: “Ready, you’re going to get this. What is the number one question that mystifies scientists? Number one question.”
Fallon then suggested: ‘Is there life on another planet?’ But Higgins said: ‘Ooh, no. Why does Meghan Markle make her own pretzel bags? They don’t know why.’
As the audience erupted in laughter, Fallon chuckled and replied: ‘That’s interesting. She takes it from one bag and puts it in another bag, and that confuses people.’
They were referring to a moment in ‘With Love, Meghan’, which began streaming on March 4, where the Duchess of Sussex transfers pre-packaged pretzels into another bag with a personalised label on to show visiting guests that she is thinking of them.
In the scene, Meghan tears open a pre-packaged bag of supermarket pretzels, transferring them into her own plastic bag, and securing it with a neat string bow.
‘This, we’re just going to put into a different bag,’ she says, with fans spotting the recognisable Trader Joe packaging of the peanut butter flavoured snacks.
Jimmy Fallon made a joke about Meghan Markle on The Tonight Show on NBC on Monday
Fallon’s sidekick Steve Higgins (pictured) asked him a series of questions, including: ‘What is the number one question that mystifies scientists?’ – to which the answer is shown above
As the audience erupted in laughter at the answer, Fallon chuckled and replied: ‘That’s interesting. She takes it from one bag and puts it in another bag, and that confuses people’
After pouring the snacks into her own bag, the Duchess labels the bag as containing peanuts – but acknowledges she already knows her friend does not have an allergy.
‘I know that Daniel (Martin) loves peanut butter but I’m going to label this anyway, you always want to be conscious if someone has a nut allergy,’ she says.
‘I’m packing this all up so I can take it home and prep the guest room.’
Meghan was twice due to appear on The Tonight Show in 2022, with her first appearance in September that year axed after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Then, NBC claimed Meghan would be appearing in December 2022 – before royal reporter Omid Scobie denied this, and the channel later admitted it had made a mistake with its announcement.
But in September last year, Prince Harry did make an appearance as he was filmed screaming while venturing through a haunted maze with Fallon in New York.
The hosts were referring to ‘With Love, Meghan’ where she transfers pre-packaged pretzels into another bag with a personalised label on to show her guests she is thinking of them
After pouring the supermarket snacks into her own bag, the Duchess labels the bag as containing peanuts – but acknowledges she already knows her friend does not have an allergy
Harry did not take part in a typical interview with Fallon, instead opting to become the first surprise guest to test the Halloween experience at the Rockefeller Centre.
The segment saw swear words bleeped out as Harry, who had a camera strapped to his chest, appeared jumpy while wandering through the maze.
As for Meghan, she has suffered a barrage of criticism in both the UK and US over her new show, with Family Ties star Justine Bateman becoming the latest celebrity to get involved as she accused Meghan and Harry of turning being victims into an Olympic sport.
And Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith said she was ‘not a Meghan Markle fan’, adding: ‘There’s more to life than how you look and how your friends think of you.’
Three Netflix stars have also condemned the show since it launched – with Whitney Cumming last week claiming that it was a gigantic ‘f*** you’ to the Royal Family .
That comes after comedian Katherine Ryan – a previous backer of the Duchess – said it feels like Meghan puts on an act of ‘oh, I’m just so humble’.
Family Ties star Justine Bateman has become the latest celebrity to get involved in criticising the couple as she accused Meghan and Harry of turning being victims into an Olympic sport
Bateman even created Harry and Meghan their own gold medal while criticising them
Christina Pazsitzky, a famous stand up and Netflix star, has also panned Meghan’s new show
Another Netflix star, Christina Pazsitzky, said the show and Meghan were ‘highly inauthentic’, ‘fake’ and ‘phony’ .
Vogue Williams – whose husband Spencer Matthews is the brother-in-law of Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton – also criticised Meghan, saying ‘who does that’ in relation to her rainbow fruit platter and joking that one of her outfits was ‘disgusting.’
The series has also been panned by TV critics, with The Guardian describing it as a ‘gormless lifestyle filler’ and ‘so pointless it might be the Sussexes’ last TV show’, while The Telegraph branded it ‘insane’ and an ‘exercise in narcissism’.
In the eight-part show, the former Suits actress give hosting tips and cooks with celebrity friends including The Office star Mindy Kaling.
Harry makes just one appearance at the end of the first season’s final episode when he joins Meghan, her mother Doria Ragland and friends for an outdoor celebratory brunch.
Meghan said it ‘feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I get to share and I’ve been able to learn from all of you’, in what was viewed as a nod to the restrictions she felt within the royal family.
Comedian Katherine Ryan said it feels like Meghan puts on an act of ‘oh, I’m just so humble’
Netflix star Whitney Cumming laid into the show, calling it a big ‘f*** you’ to the Royal Family
The Sussexes, who signed a $100million (£80million) deal with Netflix in 2020, have previously put out the controversial Harry & Meghan documentary, which features accusations against the royal family, and sport show Polo.
The second season of With Love, Meghan is coming in the autumn, and has already finished filming, according to Netflix.
Gwyneth Paltrow was also asked about Meghan in a Vanity Fair interview published this week, and said of her Montecito neighbour: ‘I don’t know Meghan and Harry… I mean, I’ve met Meghan, who seems really lovely, but I don’t know her at all.
‘I was raised to see other women as friends, not foes… I think there’s always more than enough to go around. Everybody deserves an attempt at everything that they want to try.’
Last week, the Duchess also announced she was launching a new podcast called Confessions of a Female Founder.
Meghan described the venture as ‘candid conversations’ with ‘amazing women’ about the success and struggles of their businesses. A trailer will be released on March 25 and the first of eight weekly episodes will be launched on April 8.
Her Archetypes podcast about female stereotypes in 2022 ran for just one series, and was part of the Sussexes’ previous deal with Spotify, which ended the year after.
The Duchess launched her lifestyle brand As Ever in tandem with her With Love, Meghan show. Her first products, which are not yet on sale, are a small selection of jams, herbal tea, ready-mix baking mixes and flower sprinkles.
