Connect with us

Lifestyle

5 Takeaways From Meghan Markle’s Netflix Show ‘With Love, Meghan’

Published

on

5 Takeaways From Meghan Markle’s Netflix Show ‘With Love, Meghan’

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has returned to the small screen with a new cooking and lifestyle show that was released on Netflix on Tuesday.

Filmed at a property near her home in sunny Montecito, Calif., the eight-episode series positions Meghan, 43, as a modern domestic goddess embracing the do-it-yourself delights of cooking, crafting and entertaining.

“Love is in the details, gang,” she says on an episode of the show, while preparing her own lavender towels.

The series, which Netflix has pitched as “inspiring,” saying it “reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming,” is directed by Michael Steed, who worked on “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.” It is executive produced by Meghan and is loosely organized around a series of creative projects — teaching a friend to make bread, throwing a game night for friends and planning a brunch — and offering tips along the way.

“We’re not in the pursuit of perfection,” Meghan explains in the show as she makes crepes. “We’re in the pursuit of joy.”

Advertisement

It has been about five years since Meghan, and her husband, Prince Harry, officially stepped back from their royal duties in Britain. The family is now firmly planted in Southern California. Prince Archie is 5 and Princess Lilibet is 3.

And now, in the empire-building tradition of lifestyle gurus like Martha Stewart and Ina Garten, Meghan is about to drop a lot of Meghan, with some help from guests like the actress Mindy Kaling and the chef Roy Choi, along with some of Meghan’s close friends.

This spring, she is expected to release products, such as fruit preserves, from her new lifestyle brand As Ever, as well as a new podcast with Lemonada Media.

Here are details on the harvests, recipes, crafts and theories on the good life that she shares in the new series, which feels a lot like a billboard for her next chapter.

Mostly, light, simple, recipes with local ingredients — a one-pot tomato pasta, quiche with eggs from the family’s chickens, and a salt-baked fish stuffed with herbs.

Advertisement

The series moves away from the stand-and-stir format of cooking shows and opts for a more conversational approach — think “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” … if they were making pickles.

“I love feeding people,” Meghan says. “It is probably my love language.”

She chats with Ms. Kaling about eating fast food as a child while she demonstrates how to cut sandwiches into shapes for a kid-friendly tea party in the garden. Mr. Choi talks about going to Meghan’s school for dances, as they get ready to make Korean-style fried chicken and drink champagne.

While preparing focaccia with Delfina Blaquier, the wife of the polo player Nacho Figueras — whom Harry knows through polo — Meghan reflects on her time living in Argentina.

Seemingly as much as she can, while also happily embracing a shortcut.

Advertisement

“I love to be able to take something that’s pretty ordinary and elevate it,” she says.

She uses the leftover wax from a beehive to make candles, scented with essential oils. She turns leftover bacon into dog biscuits for a friend’s pet. She even does something thoughtful for the family’s chickens, many which were rescued from a factory farm, giving them a block of ice filled with fruits and vegetables.

For a brunch, prepped with the guidance of the chef Alice Waters, Meghan, a calligraphy expert, writes her own menus, in careful penmanship.

“You set your guests up so they have an amazing experience,” she says, “and everyone can relax and enjoy.”

So many things!

Advertisement

The series opens with a shot of bees, and cuts to Meghan at the beehive, where she helps to collect the honey. A fan of personalized gifts, she also demonstrates to viewers how to build a harvest basket with lemons, cucumbers and cabbage, and create a welcome tray for house guests.

“The joy of hostessing for me is surprising people with moments that let them know I was really thinking of their whole experience,” she says.

Meghan picks fresh berries for her jams and citrus fruits that she uses to make dehydrated garnishes for cocktails, which she serves to friends during a game of mahjong.

Ms. Kaling asks the same question.

“I like high and low,” Meghan says, explaining that she is wearing white Zara pants, a cream short-sleeved Loro Piana top and a cream-and-white striped Jenni Kayne sweater.

Advertisement

Throughout the series, she wears lots of casually elegant neutrals, in creams, tans and blues as well as the occasional floral dress (and one white Northwestern University sweatshirt).

Not really.

Unlike “Harry & Meghan,” the 2022 Netflix documentary series that focused on the couple’s relationship and their decision to step back from the British royal family, this is Meghan’s show.

Her family, though, is infused throughout. Meghan drops a few anecdotes about her children and Prince Harry into conversation. There are also many shots of her dogs.

Harry makes an appearance onscreen in a final scene at a brunch held to celebrate her business, dressed crisply in a light blue button-down and sunglasses, as Meghan toasts people who have helped her along the way.

Advertisement

“This feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I get to share,” she says. “And here we go, there’s a business. All of that is part of that creativity that I’ve missed so much.”

Lifestyle

‘Wait Wait’ for April 18. 2026: With Not My Job guest Phil Pritchard

Published

on

‘Wait Wait’ for April 18. 2026: With Not My Job guest Phil Pritchard

Phil Pritchard of the Hockey Hall of Fame works the 2019 NHL Awards at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on June 19, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

This week’s show was recorded in Chicago with host Peter Sagal, judge and guest scorekeeper Alzo Slade, Not My Job guest Phil Pritchard and panelists Alonzo Bodden, Adam Burke, and Dulcé Sloan. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.

Who’s Alzo This Time

The Don Vs The Poppa; World’s Worst Doctor; Should We Eat That?

Advertisement

Panel Questions

Big Cheese News!

Bluff The Listener

Our panelists tell three stories about someone missing a huge opportunity in the news, only one of which is true.

Not My Job: Phil Pritchard, the NHL’s Keeper of the Stanley Cup, answers three questions about the other NHL, National Historic Landmarks

Advertisement

Peter talks to Phil Pritchard, the NHL’s Keeper of the Stanley Cup. Phil plays our game called, “Let’s Go Visit The NHL” Three questions about National Historic Landmarks.

Panel Questions

The Trump Dump and Air Traffic Control Becomes Animal Control

Limericks

Alzo Slade reads three news-related limericks: Spice Up Your Spring Cleaning; A Fizzy Meaty Drink; The Right Way to Eat Peeps.

Advertisement

Lightning Fill In The Blank

All the news we couldn’t fit anywhere else

Predictions

Our panelists predict the next big AirBnB story in the news

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Paul W. Downs

Published

on

How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Paul W. Downs

Paul W. Downs can’t help it that even on the weekends, his life intersects with “Hacks,” the HBO comedy he co-created and co-showruns with his wife, Lucia Aniello, and their friend Jen Statsky. (He also appears on the show as Jimmy LuSaque Jr., the besieged manager of its two stars, played by Emmy winners Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder.) The fifth and final season of “Hacks” premiered last week, but on Downs’ days off, he often finds himself at its previous filming locations or hanging out with cast members who have become like family.

Sunday Funday infobox logo with colorful spot illustrations

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

Downs moved to Los Angeles in 2011, but soon after, he and Aniello were hired to write (and for him to act) on the über-New York show “Broad City,” keeping them away from the West Coast for years. Now the couple live in Los Feliz, which they enjoy with their young son.

Advertisement

“I love Los Feliz because it’s a real neighborhood with restaurants and bars, but also feels close to nature with Griffith Park,” Downs says. “Also it’s very central to my Eastside friends and Westside agents.”

And if he had to live at a local mall, like the character Ava Daniels did in the third season of “Hacks,” which would he choose?

“It would be the Americana, obviously.”

Here’s how he’d spend a perfect day in L.A.

10 a.m.: A late rise and a li’l barista

Advertisement

I’m sleeping in if I can, which I can’t because I have a toddler, but let’s say I can sleep ’til 10. That would be insane.

Then I’m making coffee at home. I’m making it with my 4-year-old because he likes to make my coffee now. He always wanted to help, now he really wants to do it on his own. I’m still there to supervise, but he does do a lot of it.

I do batch brew. I’m doing Verve Coffee that I’m grinding there, and then I’m brewing four cups because I need my coffee. I had a Moccamaster for a long time, but I recently got a Simply Good Coffee. There’s no plastic — it’s all glass and metal.

11 a.m.: Chocolate croissants for everyone

We’re driving to Pasadena and we’re going to [Artisanal Goods by] CAR, which is the place to get the best chocolate croissant, I think, in the world. I don’t just think in L.A., I think they’re better than Paris. I’m going there with my wife and my kid and I’m having another coffee and some pastry. We’re ordering three [chocolate croissants]. We’re not doubling up.

Advertisement

11:45 a.m.: The family business

We’re driving to Fair Oaks in Pasadena. There’s a place called T.L. Gurley. We shot “Hacks” there, actually. Not only in Season 1, but also full circle in Season 5. We’re going to shmay around and look at antiques. My kid is going to want to play a vintage pinball machine. We’re going to find a little piece of art for the house or what have you. It’s not necessarily that I’m on the hunt. It’s to pass the time and to have some fun. If I could do anything and have a leisurely day and take my mind off work, that’s what I’m doing.

People love to interact with my kid when he’s there. We’re really training him to appraise things at a young age. My parents are part-time dealers of antiques. My grandmother bought and sold antiques. It’s kind of a family business.

1:30 pm.: Baguettes and books

We’re driving to Larchmont and we’re getting a sandwich at Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese. I’m doing prosciutto-mozzarella-basil on a baguette.

Advertisement

Then we’re going to Chevalier’s Books. What’s sad is that I’m often not looking for leisure material. I’m looking for something that I’m interested in learning more about or writing about, or that they’re turning into a show I want to audition for. But we’re also doing Little Golden Books for my son. He’s obsessed. We’re not huge on screen time, so we really encourage the book-buying.

2:30 p.m.: Cast pool party

We’re having some family fun in the pool and we’re doing that until evening. We invite people over all the time. My sister-in-law is a New Yorker, but she actually wrote last season on “The Rooster” and she’s often writing on shows in L.A., so she’s often here and she’ll have a couple friends come over. I know this sounds like a piece of PR or something, but we’ll really literally have Hannah [Einbinder] and maybe Mark Indelicato from “Hacks” come over to swim. Jen, our co-creator of “Hacks,” will come over.

6:00 p.m.: Family dinner

Sometimes we’ll order Grá to the house, which is a pizza place in Echo Park — excellent sourdough crust pizza. But if we don’t do that, an ideal evening is an early dinner at All Time on Hillhurst in Los Feliz. We’re ordering the ceviche and my son is having all of it and not sharing with anybody at the table.

Advertisement

8:45 p.m.: A thrilling ending to the day

After putting my kid to bed, my wife and I, in an ideal world (full disclosure: we haven’t done this in two years), we’ll watch something together that we’ve been meaning to watch. We have a long list of movies and we either want to revisit or that we haven’t seen that we need to watch.

We don’t watch a lot of comedies. It’s a dream to watch a “Black Bag” or a little espionage thriller. We really like that because it’s so different than the stuff that we’re working on in the day.

Often the things we watch are things that we admire. We like deconstructing it as fans of film and television. We do like talking about the making of it, but it’s less of a critique and more of a listing of the things we appreciated about it.

10:30 p.m.: No work tomorrow

Advertisement

And then it’s lovemaking ’til morning on a perfect Sunday. If it’s a perfect Sunday, there’s also a Monday that’s off.

Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Sitting in a jail cell, alone and hopeless, a man’s life is suddenly changed

Published

on

Sitting in a jail cell, alone and hopeless, a man’s life is suddenly changed

Jay (not pictured) found himself alone and hopeless in a jail cell when a fellow inmate’s unexpected words of comfort changed his life.

Irkham Khalid/Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

Irkham Khalid/Getty Images

When Jay was 22 years old, he was a self-described loner. In this story, he is being identified by his nickname to allow himself to speak candidly about the following experience and his mental health. He says the few people he did hang out with at the time had questionable morals.

 ”I chose my friends poorly, and your friends have a tendency to rub off on you. And so I started making poor decisions,” Jay said.

One evening, when he and his friends were out drinking, someone suggested they should try to break into the chemistry building on his college campus. Most of the group shrugged the suggestion off, deeming it impossible, but Jay was convinced he could pull it off.

Advertisement

“The next night I made a plan of how to do it, and I did it,” Jay remembered. “And I didn’t get caught doing it, [but] I got caught afterwards.”

At around 1 that morning, Jay was placed in the county detention center. Sitting alone in his cell, reality began to sink in.

“I pretty much thought that my life as I knew it was going to be over, and I had decided that the world would be better off without me in it.”

Jay made a plan to end his life. As he prepared himself, he began to cry.

“But just in that moment when I was ready to do it, I heard a voice coming from the top left corner of my cell, from a little vent. And someone called out to me and said, ‘Hey, is this your first time?’”

Advertisement

The man who called out was an inmate in the cell next door.

“I collected myself a little bit, and I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he said, ‘Can I pray for you?’”

Jay had grown up religious, but had stopped going to church years before. In that moment, though, he knew he needed support. He said yes, and listened as the man began to pray.

“I wish I could tell you that I remember the [exact] words that he said to me, but what I remember is that his words landed with me, and instead of wanting my life to be over, suddenly I saw hope,” Jay said.

The interaction happened nearly ten years ago, but it was a pivotal moment in Jay’s life, and one he thinks about all the time.

Advertisement

“[Now], I have a good job. I have a girlfriend who loves me. I have a life. But I have a life because somebody who was in the same situation I was in had the courage to talk to a fellow inmate and be kind.”

Jay says that he wishes he could meet that man again and express his appreciation.

“[I would] shake that guy’s hand, give him a hug, and tell him what his small gesture meant for me, how he changed the course of my life.”

My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending