Harry and Meghan branded ‘biggest losers’ of 2023 by Hollywood’s showbiz bible after pair’s annus horribilis

The Hollywood Reporter has sneered at the former royals and branded them ‘whiny’ as donations to their charity sink by nearly £10m

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been branded two of the year’s “biggest losers” in a Hollywood power ranking following a tumultuous year for the former royals.

The annual compilation from The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the duo as two of La La Land’s most major failures of 2023 following the cancellation of their podcast as well as a takedown in South Park.

Harry’s best-selling memoir Spare – which he used to brag of killing Taliban terrorists and detail his fractured relationship with his family – was also lambasted as “whiny”.

The Hollywood Reporter said: “The Harry and Meghan brand swelled into a sanctimonious bubble just begging to be popped” – adding they had failed “to cash in their celebrity status in the States” after moving to Los Angeles.

According to the publication, the turning point this year for Harry and Meghan was their “brutal” takedown in the TV show South Park.While the cartoon didn’t use their names, it featured a red-headed prince and his wife, who wears the exact same outfit Meghan once sported in 2018.

In the episode, the royal is promoting a book named Waaaagh before the pair go on a tour to promote their right to privacy.

Meghan and Harry have been branded ‘biggest losers’ of 2023 by showbiz bible (Archewell)

Harry and Meghan’s annus horribilis also involved Spotify dropping the former actress’ Archetypes podcast which was released following a lucrative three-year deal with the streaming giant in late-2020.

As part of the deal, estimated to have been worth around £18m, the duo planned to host and produce numerous podcasts but Archetypes was not renewed for a second series and their deal was ended – with Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetisation Bill Simmons later calling the couple “grifters”.

It also emerged on Tuesday (12 December) the couple’s charity Archewell – named after their four-year-old son Archie and established in 2020 – suffered a donations plunge of nearly £10m in a year.

The Sussexes released their charity’s annual report and a glitzy promotional film showing their good works this year, but it was marred by the dramatic loss.

An income tax return filed in the US has revealed that in 2022 donations had dipped to just over £1.6m – an astonishing plunge of £8.7m on the £10.3m it was gifted in 2021.