Meghan Markle’s ‘Pearl’ Under Fire for Alleged Plagiarism
Meghan Markle is facing some serious heat after being accused of copying a children’s author. The buzz is all about her canceled Netflix show “Pearl,” which some say bears a striking resemblance to a pre-existing story.
British author Mel Elliott is calling it out. She created a children’s book series called “Pearl Power” years ago. In a recent interview with The Daily Mail, she claimed Markle stole her work for the Netflix project.
“Meghan is a feminist who sticks up for other women, so I was disappointed and confused to see how similar Netflix’s proposed show ‘Pearl’ was to my own ‘Pearl Power,’ which had been created seven years earlier,” Elliott said of Markle’s animated series. She added that even though she couldn’t be sure if someone on Markle’s team was inspired by her books, “the similarities were too great for me to ignore.”
Elliott even went on to explain that her attorney reached out to both Markle and Netflix. According to reports, her lawyers wrote in 2021: “The similarities between your proposed animation series and my client’s work appear to be too many and too striking to be mere coincidence.” They also warned, “It also appears that there is a risk that your proposed series may infringe intellectual property rights belonging to my client and/or may give rise to a claim in passing off.”
The author was pretty blunt about the whole ordeal. “The world of arts and media are very competitive, and I’m afraid it’s quite common for powerful people to rip off the work of less well-known creatives — although I’m not saying that’s what happened here,” she told the Daily Mail.
She wasn’t done sharing her frustrations. “What saddened me most is that, having brought the similarities between my ’Pearl’ and Meghan’s ‘Pearl’ to the attention of Netflix and Archewell, my objection was never acknowledged – neither Netflix nor Archewell responded to me when I would have loved to have contributed and collaborated,” Elliott added. She went on to say, “I am glad that Meghan’s ‘Pearl’ show was dropped, and I hope that I had something to do with it.”
Yet, Elliott’s disappointment runs deep. “But what I really wanted was for it to have gone ahead, and for me to have been acknowledged or invited to work as a collaborator on the series,” she lamented. “‘Pearl’ was my dream project and now, annoyingly, if I reprise my own creation, it’s going to look like I have copied the idea from someone else.”
The controversies don’t stop with “Pearl.” Earlier this year, Meghan Markle also came under fire over her new podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder.” Many pointed out how similar the title was to an existing podcast, “Confessions of a CEO.” One user on X remarked, “Maybe you would like to know, Meghan Markle has ripped off another woman’s podcast called ‘Confessions of a CEO,’” while another added, “A simple Google search would help Meghan.” One more jab came in the form of, “Tell me you don’t have a single original thought without telling me you don’t have a single original thought.”
Markle’s ventures seem to be borrowing from all corners. After her cooking show debuted on Netflix, comparisons popped up with Pamela Anderson’s “Pamela’s Cooking with Love.” Royal expert Neil Sean even took to his YouTube channel to point out that in some scenes, Markle’s show looks like a “frame-for-frame” copy of Anderson’s. video evidence showed Meghan high-fiving a guest on set right next to a similar moment from Anderson’s show. He added, “As you can see, Meghan has been inspired by her [Anderson’s] cookery show, right?” and noted, “There’s very little new in the world of cookery. It’s difficult to reinvent it, but Meghan didn’t even bother with that. Clearly, she just got inspired.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, is under scrutiny too. Francisca “Xisca” Mora, mayor of the Mallorcan town of Porreres, has accused her of lifting the logo directly from the town’s historic coat of arms. The logo, which features a black and white palm tree flanked by two hummingbirds, is prominently displayed on the brand’s website.
This string of accusations leaves a bitter taste. Whether it’s the canceled “Pearl” series, the podcast title, the cooking show comparisons, or her brand logo, the claims of unoriginality are piling up. For now, the controversy continues to simmer in the media and online, fueling yet another debate about creativity in today’s competitive world.
Leave a Comment