Meghan Markle’s MasterChef Australia appearance has prompted another wave of criticism, with commentator Kevin O’Sullivan describing the Duchess of Sussex’s latest television move as “sheer desperation”. He claimed Meghan hopes the cooking show will help her secure bigger opportunities in the United States and Britain.
Meghan Markle eyes ‘bigger shows’ in US and UK after MasterChef Gig, per expert
Speaking on “Recollections May Vary” with Kinsey Schofield, O’Sullivan questioned why Meghan had accepted a guest role on ‘Junior MasterChef Australia’. The Duchess is expected to join the 2027 season alongside returning host Poh Ling Yeow.
O’Sullivan suggested Meghan initially expected her marriage to Prince Harry to open doors to major Hollywood opportunities. However, he claimed those opportunities never materialised as she had anticipated.
“I think the main reason she married Harry, she saw it as a kind of a rocket up her career,” he said. He argued that Meghan expected the relationship to propel her towards major television roles and projects.
The commentator also criticised her Netflix lifestyle series, ‘With Love, Meghan’, claiming it failed to attract viewers. He then described her decision to join the Australian cooking competition as an attempt to regain public attention.
“The fact she’s taking this job now, it’s sheer desperation, absolute desperation. She just needs the profile,” O’Sullivan claimed.
He suggested Meghan would use the Australian appearance to generate publicity through interviews and media coverage. According to him, she hopes the attention could lead to similar opportunities on bigger shows in the US or UK. “Once she gets there, she’ll give all of she’ll give interviews that’ll make a big thing of it,” he said. However, he admitted he doubted whether the strategy would work.
O’Sullivan also questioned the financial appeal of the opportunity. He argued that ‘Junior MasterChef Australia’ was a relatively small programme and claimed it would not offer Meghan a significant payday.
Instead, he believes the appearance could help her present herself as returning to television. He further accused the Duchess of pursuing positive publicity to revive her entertainment career.
His remarks follow earlier criticism of Meghan’s presenting abilities and her potential impact on the show’s ratings. However, her MasterChef Australia appearance also offers a new opportunity to connect with audiences beyond her existing projects.
Whether the guest role leads to bigger television opportunities remains to be seen.
