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Meghan Markle said she was treated like a “bimbo” when she worked on “Deal or No Deal.”
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Whoopi Goldberg slammed the duchess for making “other women feel bad.”
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Many fans came to defend Meghan Markle after Whoopi’s comments.
While many now know Meghan Markle as Prince Harry’s wife and the mother of his children, she had a full life before she met the royal family member and worked in the entertainment industry for many years.
Before she graced our screens on “Suits,” she had other jobs in Hollywood. One of them was working on “Deal or No Deal” when she was younger. She has recently spoken out about her experience on the show.
Meghan Markle in a promotional photoshoot for “Deal or No Deal” Season Two. September 5, 2006 | Source: Getty Images
During the most recent episode of her “Archetypes” podcast, Markle opened up about what it was like for her to work on the popular game show. She mentioned that being on the show made her feel like she wasn’t smart and like she was a “bimbo.”
Markle said her role on the show, like 25 other women, was to stand on stage and hold a briefcase. She confirmed that all of the women had to look a certain way and their presence on the show was based on their looks and not their intelligence.
The former actress said that she had studied acting and the job was an excellent way to earn money while she was auditioning for more significant roles. However, she decided to leave the job because it made her feel objectified.
Meghan Markle on Season Two, Episode 228 of “Deal or No Deal.” October 4, 2006 | Source: Getty Images
Speaking about precisely what it was that made her leave the show, Markle confessed:
“I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn’t the focus of why we were there. And I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach, knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. And that’s how it felt for me at the time, being reduced to this specific archetype.”
RELATED: Meghan Markle Returns to the Red Carpet in Plunging Gown amid Row that She Still Uses the Title
Meghan Markle on Season Two, Episode 236 of “Deal or No Deal.” October 25, 2006 | Source: Getty Images
She admitted that it was a good feeling to have a steady paycheck from the show as she hadn’t landed any other jobs, but she said that she had to leave because it didn’t feel like it was worth it for her to remain there.
Whoopi Goldberg Takes Issue with Markle
Markle’s comments about “Deal or No Deal” quickly gathered attention, and one person who took her views to heart was Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg discussed the observations made by Markle on an episode of “The View.”
Goldberg said that Markle knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to do “Deal or no Deal,” saying:
“That’s TV, baby. But what did you think you were going to do? You know that’s what the show was.”
The “Sister Act” alum mentioned that as an actor, one takes whatever gig one can get to reach a higher place in one’s career. She said: “The objectification might be coming from you and how you felt about how these women were being portrayed, and that’s what you have to change — because we’re performers. When you’re a performer, you take the gig.”
Whoopi Goldberg on Season 19 of “The View.” February 17, 2016 | Source: Getty Images
She also mentioned that viewers of the show were probably not thinking about the women holding the briefcases. Instead, she believed: “I feel bad because I don’t think people were looking at these girls like this; I think people wanted the money.”
One of the women who was on the show with Markle said that she did not feel objectified and was grateful that the show had brought so many opportunities for more significant roles into her career.
Other hosts on the show sided with Meghan Markle and said that what she felt was valid as most game shows followed the same setup. They observed that it was usually a male host with many young, attractive female assistants.
Whoopi Goldberg on Season 21 of “The View.” October 16, 2018 | Source: Getty Images
Audience members applauded when this was mentioned, and then Goldberg said that maybe it was time for someone to write a new game show, one in which there was a female host with more body-positive assistants.
Goldberg also said that she and Markle were not journalists but actors and knew what the industry was like. She brought up “Wheel of Fortune” host Vanna White, saying she is always wearing something exciting and beautiful.
Fans Defend Markle
After Goldberg’s comments on “The View,” Markle’s fans began flooding in with support for the former actress and her experience on the game show. Fans did not hesitate to call Goldberg out about her observations on the situation.
Twitter was ablaze with comments scolding Goldberg for her words and fiercely defending Meghan. Even some of Goldberg’s fans came to Meghan’s defense relatively quickly.
Many fans were upset that Goldberg had invalidated Markle’s experience and mentioned that just because Markle had a different opinion than some of the other women who were on the show with her did not make Markle wrong.
One woman said that she usually agreed with Goldberg’s opinions, but this time was different as she felt Goldberg should be supportive of all women and that Markle was simply stating her truth.
Another Twitter user said that Goldberg should have listened to the entire podcast and not just the snippet shown on “The View” as the statement that Meghan made related to the topic she was talking about that day on her podcast.
A third user pondered on whether or not Goldberg would feel differently about her time on “The Voice” than she did now. She asked if Goldberg had a different experience from another co-host, would it make Goldberg’s experience invalid?
While some users were only upset with Goldberg, others didn’t turn their attention solely to the “The View” co-host. One user focused both on Goldberg and Claudia Jordan, who said she had positive experiences on the show.
Jordan said that she was never treated as an object on the show, and instead, the show provided her with a stepping stone to further her career. However, her comments also received backlash from one user, who said:
“So, basically, neither Claudia [nor] Whoopi actually listened to what she said. Sad.”
Another user mentioned that Markle was allowed to feel what she felt and that many people outgrew relationships and jobs that they took when they needed the money, even though they weren’t ideal.
There were also users who thought that Goldberg’s logic was flawed as she was implying that Markle should not express her feelings about being on the show for fear of making someone else feel bad.
The same user also remarked that Meghan’s words were constantly distorted and her experiences often invalidated. Once again, this user advised Goldberg to listen to the whole podcast.
One person
that it was unfair that Goldberg was allowed to say what she thought and felt about the
situation, but Markle was not allowed to share her feelings in the same way. The user said Markle simply wanted a job where she felt more comfortable.
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