Meghan Markle branded 'most disappointing celebrity' of 2025 by former hometown paper

Fintan Starkey

By Fintan Starkey


Published: 30/12/2025

- 21:33

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also announced their New Year's plans

Meghan Markle has been branded the “most disappointing celebrity of 2025” by her former hometown newspaper, the Toronto Star.

The Duchess of Sussex spent seven years living in Toronto while filming Suits, before moving to the UK with Prince Harry.


Meghan has always spoken warmly about he time in Canada, believing it allowed her to live a “normal life” during her filming years.

Patricia Treble wrote the article for the local paper and claims: “Meghan Markle was poised for a huge year. Instead, she’s our most disappointing celebrity of 2025

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle has been branded "the most disappointing celebrity of 2025" by the Toronto Star

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GETTY

“All the ingredients for Meghan becoming a worldwide hit were there: a beautiful, ambitious woman fronting a rapid succession of projects designed to keep her in the public eye from January to December.

“The strategy didn’t work. It wasn’t an abject failure or a scandalous catastrophe, but the Year of Meghan slowly deflated as each project failed to deliver as expected.

“There’s no sign of a second season for her podcast. Netflix hasn’t officially renewed her show on the eve of its one-off holiday special. It also ended the exclusive and very lucrative five-year deal with the Sussexes, instead opting for a frugal ‘first peek’ deal. As of now, no new projects have been greenlit.”


Harry and Meghan had a deal with Netflix, reportedly worth $100million, before they extended their creative partnership with a multi-year first-look deal for film and television projects earlier this year.

The royal pair made their public debut together in Toronto at Prince Harry’s 2017 Invictus Games, and more recently Harry thanked the capital of Canada during the True Patriot Love Foundation National Tribute Dinner for giving him “a wife.”

The opinion piece continued: “She’s got all the advantages — she landed in Hollywood in 2020 as a major international figure — but she has evolved into a bad celebrity because she doesn’t understand her role in the culture.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first public appearance together in Toronto at the Invictus Games in 2017

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GETTY

“Meghan could be famous by being open and real. It worked for the Kardashians, who got rich by working non-stop to sell themselves to a world eager to see their latest reinventions.

“Meghan is a flitter. She activated and then deleted a ShopMy page this year. She completed only 12 podcast episodes on Spotify and nine on Lemonada. (A Spotify executive called her a “grifter.”)

“She launched her brand as American Riviera Orchard, complete with a soft-focus video of her gliding through her mansion in an evening gown, only to switch to As Ever when she couldn’t secure the trademark.”

Her most recent Netflix special, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration was met with mixed critic reviews, but Express writer Emily Ferguson saw positives in the Netflix show.

She wrote: “The special one-off episode, released on the same day the Royal Family welcomes the German President and First Lady to Windsor Castle for a three-day state visit, balances festive fun with personal anecdotes that are sure to please her fan base.

“And in a solo clip while decorating iced cookies, Meghan delivers an important message: 'Take care of yourself and you will be able to take care of everybody else.’”

Earlier today, the Duchess of Sussex has revealed surprisingly understated plans for ringing in 2025 with Prince Harry.

Through her As Ever newsletter, the Duchess offered subscribers a glimpse into the couple's New Year's Eve celebrations.

In a message bearing the title "pop the bubbly", she described an intimate evening involving champagne and her own $15 Flower Sprinkles product in place of traditional confetti.

Meghan Markle and Prince HarryMeghan Markle has revealed surprisingly understated plans for ringing in 2025 with Prince Harry. | GETTY

Through her As Ever newsletter, the Duchess offered subscribers a glimpse into the couple's New Year's Eve celebrations.

In a message bearing the title "pop the bubbly", she described an intimate evening involving champagne and her own $15 Flower Sprinkles product in place of traditional confetti.

Meghan wrote: "When the clock strikes midnight, we'll be celebrating right along with you.

"Glasses raised, bottles of bubbly popping, and confetti in the air - only in our case, it's Flower Sprinkles falling instead."

Meghan Markle's representatives decline to comment when approached by GB News.