On Wednesday, Netflix’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, stood at the company’s “Next on Netflix” event and told the press, “I would say don’t believe whatever you read. Maybe we should all do a little fact-checking.”
She was responding to a Variety report published the day before that described a partnership with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that, by nearly every measurable standard, has failed to deliver. The report included a line that has already become the story’s epitaph: “The mood in the building is ‘We’re done.’”
Bajaria said Netflix still has projects in development with the couple. She said deals come and go all the time. She said there was no juicy story. The problem is that every number associated with this deal tells a different one.
The Math Became the Punchline
On March 6, it was announced that Netflix was divesting from As Ever, the lifestyle brand it helped Meghan build. The brand, which sold fruit spreads, honey, teas and other pantry goods, will continue independently. What Netflix did not announce, but Variety reported, citing sources, is that the streamer was sitting on more than $10 million in unsold As Ever inventory and had put products on card tables for employees to take for free.
That image — if Variety’s account is accurate — is doing more damage to this deal than any anonymous quote.
Here’s how it got there. In 2020, fresh off their exit from the British royal family, Harry and Meghan signed a deal worth roughly $60 million, according to two Variety sources. The pitch was an entertainment empire: scripted shows, unscripted shows, children’s programming, feature films, and documentaries. Nearly six years later, they have not produced a single scripted project for Netflix. An animated series about a girl inspired by famous women throughout history, Pearl, was scrapped in 2022. Two scripted feature adaptations — Carley Fortune’s Meet Me at the Lake and Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date — remain in development but have not been made.
What they have produced: a six-part docuseries about themselves (Harry & Meghan, 2022), Live to Lead, a documentary about the Invictus Games, a five-part series about polo, and With Love, Meghan — the lifestyle show tied to the brand Netflix has now exited.
Netflix Says Relax. The Numbers Say Otherwise
The Variety report painted a picture of deep frustration inside Netflix. It described the couple’s pattern of repackaging their royal-exit story as exhausting. Their “bedside manner” in meetings reportedly ruffled feathers. Their communication was described as poor. Variety also reported that some top talent and directors were reluctant to work with them.
Two sources told Variety that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently said he would not get on a call with Meghan unless a lawyer was present. The sources were unclear whether he was serious or joking. A Netflix spokesperson called that claim “absolutely inaccurate.” The Sussexes’ attorney, Michael Kump, called it “blatantly false” and said Meghan texts and speaks with Sarandos regularly.
Then, the next day, Bajaria went on camera and told reporters to do some fact-checking. She confirmed projects remain in development. She said Netflix had movies in development with them and “things in development on the TV and film side.” She also said the company had “an amazing documentary” with them and added, “Deals come and go all the time.”
Netflix doesn’t usually use a slate event to push back on tension stories about deal partners. The fact that Bajaria addressed this publicly — at an event designed to sell the future — tells you how much this story has landed.
The Deal Kept Getting Smaller
The original 2020 deal was exclusive. In August 2025, it was replaced by a multi-year first-look arrangement after the original overall pact was not renewed — a clear step down from where this started. Netflix framed it as an extension. The Sussexes framed it as a continued partnership. The reality was smaller.
That same August announcement expanded the partnership to include As Ever. Seven months later, Netflix pulled out of the brand entirely. Meghan’s side said As Ever was ready to stand on its own. Netflix praised Meghan’s “passion for elevating everyday moments.” Neither statement addressed Variety’s report of more than $10 million in unsold inventory.
The Jam Told the Truth
Bajaria is right that deals come and go. She’s right that most of them don’t make headlines. But most deals don’t start with a roughly $60 million commitment, produce one undeniable hit in 2022, and end with free jam on card tables.
Netflix’s public position is that everything is fine and more projects are coming. According to Variety’s reporting, Netflix’s private position is that the mood in the building is “We’re done.” One of those things is a press strategy. The other is a report built on multiple sources of complaints from inside and around the company. You can decide which one to fact-check.