Meghan Markle's first podcast series for Spotify will focus on female stereotypes, it has been announced. Archetypes will investigate “labels that try to hold women back”.
The podcast will launch this summer, hosted by the Duchess of Sussex. She will speak to historians, experts and woman who have experienced being typecast.
In a trailer for the Archewell Audio project released on Thursday, Meghan said: “This is how we talk about women: the words that raise our girls, and how the media reflects women back to us… but where do these stereotypes come from? And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives?”
The duchess, previewing the type of guests who will feature, adds: “This is Archetypes – the podcast where we dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back. I’ll have conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives. And I’ll talk to historians to understand how we even got here in the first place.”
The announcement of Archewell Audio’s debut podcast series with Spotify comes after Meghan and the Duke of Sussex raised concerns about Covid-19 misinformation on the platform. Meghan and Harry signed a lucrative deal with the audio streaming giant to host and produce podcasts.
The deal was estimated to be worth around £18 million in late 2020. However they had only released one show so far – a holiday special featuring their son Archie and celebrity guests.
Spotify and Archewell Audio said on Thursday: “Spotify and Archewell Audio both value responsible stewardship of the audio landscape, and as explained recently, are committed to working closely to support transparency and strong principles of trust and safety.”
In January, Neil Young reportedly offered Spotify an ultimatum to remove either his work or The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which has been known to air vaccine-sceptical views. When the singer later left the streaming platform, Joni Mitchell announced the same move “in solidarity” with his decision.
At the time, the Sussexes’ charitable foundation said they had been expressing concerns but the couple were committed to continuing their work with the organisation. Last week, a spokesperson for Archewell Audio confirmed its first series would air in the summer and that they had been working closely with Spotify towards policies aimed at minimising the spread of misinformation.
Meghan has long been a campaigner on female empowerment. Spotify and Archewell Audio described her conversations with typecast women as “uncensored” and said the duchess would delve into the origins of stereotypes.
Former Suits actress Meghan is also an executive producer on the series, along with Ben Browning, Archewell’s head of content, and Rebecca Sananes, Archewell’s head of audio. The podcast will be produced by Archewell Audio in partnership with Gimlet Media for Spotify.
