Ulrika Jonsson urges Meghan to not ‘bite the hand that fed you’ after ‘bimbo’ remark | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV
Ulrika Jonsson urged Meghan Markle, 41, to not “bite the hand that fed her” after the Duchess of Sussex spoke candidly about her time on the programme Deal Or No Deal, over 16 years ago. During the latest episode of Archetypes, the royal felt she had been branded a “bimbo” because she was valued for her “beauty” and not her “brains”.
Ulrika, 55, has argued in her latest column that Meghan’s “ambition burnt a hole in her principles” and starting out in such a role is not “selling yourself short”.
The weather forecaster turned television presenter admitted she too had a similar journey after switching weather maps for a showbiz career.
Meghan, who appeared on Deal Or No Deal between 2006 and 2007, said she felt “objectified” as a briefcase girl, adding she hoped her one-year-old daughter, Lilibet, would be valued for her brain over beauty.
Ulrika suggested it could be considered “insulting” towards women for taking “lesser” jobs.
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Speaking with Paris Hilton on her podcast, Archetypes released on Tuesday, the Duchess explained: “There were times when I was on set at Deal or No Deal and thinking back to my time working as an intern at the US Embassy in Argentina, Buenos Aires, and being in the motorcade with the secretary of treasury at the time and being valued specifically for my brain.
“Here, I was being valued for something quite the opposite. I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage.
Meghan shared: “I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. That’s how it felt for me at the time, being reduced to this specific archetype, the word bimbo.”
Royal fans defended Meghan’s remarks on social media, as Twitter user Cindy tweeted: “Meghan said she appreciated the job, but felt uncomfortable and she was speaking for herself not the other women, and she moved on.”
Barbara added: “Meghan is allowed to have whatever feelings she wants.”
It comes after the Duchess’ comments sparked some criticism from celebrities in the entertainment industry, including Whoopi Goldberg.
She argued the women who took to on the “briefcase role” were “just trying to make a living in Hollywood”.
The Oscar-winning actress stressed to Meghan that, “When you’re a performer, you take the gig,” which sometimes involves a “Bozo suit” or a “big nose,” because that’s “just the way it is” in showbiz.
