- 'Family Guy' is a controversial cartoon show
- It has recently taken aim at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
- THIS is what the writers put in a new episode
'Family Guy' is always trying to stay relevant and talk about the issues of the day. Nowadays, this means, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. It marks the second time that a hit American satirical cartoon has taken aim at the couple, who stood down as working members of the Royal family in 2020 to relocate to the US.
In the new episode, which aired on Sunday, protagonist "Peter Griffin" is seen comparing himself to the couple when thinking of ways to retrieve money he is owed, saying he will "go it alone" like the Sussexes.
The writers took no prisoners
The show is known for its comedic cutaways that have become a bit of staple, as the show goes on random tangents, often making fun of famous people in the process. The scene then cuts to the couple sunbathing on loungers by a pool while a butler appears and says he is there to give them "millions from Netflix for ... no one knows what".
Cartoon Prince Harry waves away the envelope offered to him for the Netflix deal, saying "put it with the rest of them". A phone notification rings and Meghan's character says, "Babe, time to do our daily $250,000 sponsored Instagram post for Del Taco."
"I shouldn't have left the made-up nonsense," Harry replies.
While Prince Harry and Meghan have a deal with Netflix, where they've produced several shows from the docu-series Harry and Meghan to the behind-the-scenes look at the Invictus Games with 'Heart of Invictus', there's an obvious hole in the second joke about Instagram: the couple doesn't currently have a public social media presence.
In any case, this comes after waves of criticism as the couple have sought to use their status as ex-royals to leverage all kinds of lucrative productions deals, despite never really having served the public extensively. The now viral dig at the couple’s life come from recent headlines about their deals in Hollywood that have faced criticism within the industry.
In June, Bill Simmons, head of Spotify’s global sports content, called the couple out after their multimillion-dollar deal with the audio platform ended, shortly after the last airing of Markle’s podcast 'Archetypes.'
On an episode of his podcast, he called Harry and Meghan "f—ing grifters" and alluded to a failed brainstorming session over Zoom. "I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories," Simmons said.
The Sussexes have fallen out of favor with regular folks
The short skit parodies the multi-year deal that the Sussexes signed with the streaming giant Netflix, rumored to be worth $100 million, in September 2020. They since produced the documentary series 'Harry & Meghan', which revealed behind-the-scenes details of royal life for the couple, as well as the 'Heart of Invictus' series.
They also narrated the 'Live to Lead' series, which followed the careers and lives of leadership figures including the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg. It has since been reported that Netflix paid $3 million for the Duke and Duchess to turn a romance novel, 'Meet Me At The Lake', by Canadian journalist and author Carley Fortune into a movie, as their next project for the deal they struck with the streaming service.
But the show is not the only production taking aim at them. A 'South Park' episode released in February features the characters the "Prince" and "Princess of Canada", a young royal couple who move to a small town in search of privacy while simultaneously constantly drawing attention to themselves.
They obviously resemble Harry and Meghan. Described as royalty from Canada, they are depicted throughout the episode as simultaneously demanding privacy while seeking attention at the same time, appearing on talk shows and stages around the world.
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Prince Harry’s memoir even gets a satirical retitling, changing from 'Spare' to 'WAAGH.' Perhaps this is an indication that the American fascination with the couple is waning. They don't have many fans in Great Britain, and America is following suit as well.
Who knows what the future holds for them now? Their last Instagram post as royals in 2020 said this: "As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile. Yet we are confident that every human being has the potential and opportunity to make a difference—as seen now across the globe, in our families, our communities and those on the front line—together we can lift each other up to realise the fullness of that promise."
So far, that hasn't quite been the case. But they are Hollywood now, and if Hollywood loves one thing, it's a comeback!
