The first episode of With Love, Meghan shows the Duchess of Sussex getting ready to host her friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin.
Her efforts include making him bath salts, arranging flowers and making truffle popcorn but she takes a portion of Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Pretzel Nuggets out of the original packaging to put into a personalized bag.
A viral post on X ridiculed the move: “I’m so glad Meghan Markle has a new show on Netflix where I can watch her take pretzels out of a labeled bag and put them into a new bag…then label it. The people’s Martha Stewart!”Meghan’s cooking show is widely thought to be a make or break opportunity for her to show she can produce commercially successful television not linked to her and Prince Harry‘s rift with the royal family.
However, some of the most viral social media posts have so far been negative, with positive posts getting far lower audience engagement.
This particular take down was among the most viewed, around one million times, and was liked 7.2k times.Meghan said in the show: “Because we put all of our energy into making those, this we’re just going to put into a different bag… Peanut butter pretzels.
“I’ve been eating these forever and I love these so much. My mom does too.”
Meghan then pours some of the pretzels out into a transparent plastic bag which she ties and labels: “Peanut butter pretzels.”
I know that Daniel loves peanut butter,” she said. “I’m still going to label this. You always want to be conscious if someone has a nut allergy. I’m packing this all up so I can take it home and prep the guest room.”Meghan is already battling some difficult reviews not only in the U.K., but among U.S. outlets that have been supportive in the past.
Harry and Meghan do have another Netflix project coming, an adaptation of the Carley Fortune novel Meet Me at the Lake.
Meghan has also revealed the products she will soon be selling through her online shop at asever.com.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.