The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, who went viral last year for her revealing interview with Oprah, where she discussed the royal family and her own mental health, has once again piqued the public’s interest. Her new podcast Archetypes has drawn in an audience so large that in the podcast’s first 24 hours, it rose to the number one spot on the music streaming app Spotify.
This came as a shock to many, as previously, Joe Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, upheld this spot consistently. Her show owes its initial success, at least in part, to her being a member of the royal family. The world has always had eyes on the royal family and is always intrigued when something new shakes up the old institution. We saw this last year when Meghan and Harry shared their stories with Oprah.
However, it isn’t her title alone that has drawn in an audience. After all, she was famous before she married Harry. We can’t forget that she carved a path for herself as an actress.
But what exactly is the show about, and will it be able to maintain this momentum? Archetypes is a podcast that attempts to reveal and discuss the many “archetypes” that women are put into and their real-life effects on women.
In the show’s first episode, Meghan spoke with Serena Williams about ambition and how it is perceived versus experienced. In the hour-long episode, the pair discuss some real-life experiences and the emotions they felt in the moments versus what the public saw. And in her newest episode, Meghan spoke with Mariah Carey, covering a range of topics from the duality of being mixed-race to being called a “diva” and its positive and negative connotations.
It is very inspiring as a woman to see these important conversations being held, but even more so to see that they are capturing such a large audience. As for whether the show will be able to maintain its momentum, there is no definite answer. It could be that the initial intrigue over Meghan Markle and her “royal-ness” has led to such ratings, which may trickle down over time. However, as of right now, Archetypes remains the top listened-to podcast in the US. Given that she is using the platform for such meaningful conversations, I certainly hope it maintains its stamina and that people keep listening.
