Prince Harry had hoped to interview Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg on a Spotify podcast about his upbringing and childhood trauma, it has emerged.
Harry discussed his ideas for potential shows with multiple producers and production companies, telling them how he wanted controversial people to talk about their childhoods and how they became the men they are today.
He reportedly wanted to speak with Pope Francis for a series on religion — something officials are scratching their heads at, according to Bloomberg.
The revelation comes after Harry – who has never produced a single podcast – and his wife Meghan canceled their $15 million Spotify deal.
Prince Harry (pictured with Meghan Markle in 2022) will reportedly interview Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg about their upbringing and childhood trauma
It’s understandable that Harry wanted to bring up Trump and Putin (pictured together in 2018) and how they became the men they are today.
Harry was also understood to be interested in talking to Mark Zuckerberg (pictured in 2020), leaving Spotify execs scratching their heads.
The streaming giant and Sussex-based audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement last Thursday, announcing that they had ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we have created together’.
After a bombshell week, in which Meghan Markle was accused of faking interviews and Spotify executive Bill Simmons was called a ‘f***ing grifter’ from Sussex, Prince Harry’s extraordinary podcast pitches have now emerged.
The Duke of Sussex, who earlier this month claimed insiders would stop all interviews that hurt the royal family because he and Meghan “have nothing to talk about”, also had plans for an event focused on fatherhood.
Meanwhile, he is said to have developed an idea to discuss social dialogue in each episode, touching on climate change and religion. Harry reportedly wanted to interview Pope Francis for the latter.
The practicality of interviewing these guests is said to have raised questions from Harry’s podcast team, especially with the likes of Putin and Zuckerberg not opening up about their childhood traumas.
Unfortunately for Harry, Sussex’s three-year deal with Soptify fell apart without bringing any of the Duke’s ideas to fruition.
Meghan, who new polls suggest is more unpopular than ever, dropped her Archetypes podcast as Spotify began to change and restructure its output.
Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a 15 million pound ($20 million) deal with Spotify for the project by the end of 2020, but sources close to the audio giant claim the royal couple has not met the productivity criteria needed to be fully paid, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Duchess of Sussex’s move to ax the show, which explores the ‘labels that try to hold women back’, follows months of talk of renewing it for a second series.
The determined duchess, however, still plans to create more podcasts and find a new home for her series, which has previously featured her friend and tennis star Serena Williams, pop sensation Mariah Carey and South African comedian Trevor Noah.
The revelations come a week after Meghan Markle dropped her Spotify podcast Archetypes (pictured)
Bill Simmons, one of the streaming giant’s top executives, called Harry and Meghan ‘f****** grifters’ after Sussex company split with Spotify
In the days following the bombshell announcement, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, Bill Simmons, slammed the pair on an episode of his own podcast last Friday.
‘F***ing grifter. That’s why we should have launched the podcast with them,’ he said.
‘I have to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to help me with a podcast idea. This is one of my best stories.’
Simmons, a sports writer, founded the sports and pop culture website and podcast network The Ringer and sold it to Spotify in 2020 for $200 million.
She then joined Spotify and has long been critical of the couple, including when she blasted Harry last January, claiming it was ’embarrassing’ to be associated with the same company.
‘Shoot this guy at the sun,’ he said, according to sports website The Big Lead.
‘I am so tired of this man. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about s*** and continues to do interviews.
‘Who gives as ***? Who cares for your life?
Meghan Markle (pictured) this week was accused of faking some of the interviews featured on her intact Spotify podcast Archetypes
Insiders claim that Harry and Meghan (pictured in 2018) want to stop all interviews and withdraw from the public eye.
The royal couple has earned millions since moving to California. Prince Harry’s bombshell memorabilia spare was part of a $20 million book deal
‘You weren’t even a favorite boy. You live in Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them.’
Spotify has recently laid off staff and scaled back big-name talent to emphasize the creator economy.
The streaming giant has announced that it will lay off about 200 employees — about two percent of its workforce — who work within its podcast team. It noted the difficulties in making podcasts profitable despite their popularity among listeners
Megan signed off with a defiant poem about surviving her 13th and final Archetype episode – but made no mention of a potential second series.
Since officially leaving the Royal Family and moving to California in 2020, the Duke and Duchess have pursued various avenues to bring in revenue.
This includes Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare which he produced as part of a $20 million deal with Penguin Books.
The couple also teamed up with Netflix to produce a docu-series called Harry & Meghan, with the streaming giant reportedly paying the pair $100 million for the six-episode series.
But more than three years after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to leave royal life for pastures new in California, the pair will be taking a step back and behind the scenes of a future Netflix production.
Aggressive attacks on members of the royal family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the wider establishment, will be held back as the couple plans to take a role further away from the public eye, insiders told The Sun earlier this month.
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