Meghan Markle’s Latest PR Misstep? Ellen DeGeneres Reportedly Rejects Duchess’s New Project Pitch

Meghan Markle’s reputation has long walked a tightrope, constantly under public scrutiny and requiring every move to be carefully calculated. One would expect her to navigate these high-stakes circles with strategic precision—especially when it comes to who she associates with. But recent whispers from the Hamptons suggest her latest attempts to reenter elite company may have missed the mark entirely.

Despite her team’s insistence otherwise, sources close to the outing claim there were no significant private meetings with the so-called power players she once courted. And for someone known to spotlight her high-status connections, the silence speaks volumes. If such meetings had occurred, the duchess’s PR machine would likely have broadcasted them in full flourish—so long as those associates passed her own lofty standards.

With her upcoming Netflix series teasing themes of lifestyle, cooking, and friendship, speculation is swirling over who Meghan will enlist to help carry the show. Her track record, however, suggests that not all star-studded partnerships bear fruit. Take Pearl, her scrapped animated project with Sir Elton John and David Furnish—a pairing that should have spelled success, yet quietly fizzled into cancellation. The lesson? Fame alone is no guarantee of triumph.

Now, the Duchess appears to be making another high-stakes move—one that has already backfired. According to sources, Meghan pitched a new collaboration to none other than Ellen DeGeneres, only to be flatly turned down. The choice is raising eyebrows, considering Ellen’s own fall from grace after her talk show ended amid scandal and financial strain. Once a daytime TV titan, Ellen’s brand has yet to recover from workplace bullying accusations and plummeting ad revenue.

So why turn to Ellen? Some speculate the Duchess was trying to repair the damage from her infamously awkward appearance on The Ellen Show, where she drank from a baby bottle and squatted on command in a cringe-filled prank segment that did little to boost her public image. If the pitch was meant to pave over past missteps, Ellen’s sharp refusal only adds salt to the wound.

The rejection serves as a sobering reminder of the challenges Meghan now faces in locking down influential and respected collaborators. Turning to a once-beloved, now-divisive figure like Ellen may have been a gamble—and one that clearly didn’t pay off. As anticipation builds around whether Netflix will move forward with Meghan’s latest venture, the stakes are clear: navigating the stormy waters of celebrity and royalty is no easy feat, and for the Duchess, every failed pitch is more than a rejection—it’s a public reckoning.