Saturday Night Live has always thrived on satire, but this weekend’s episode may have marked a cultural turning point for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
When Colin Jost stepped up with a blistering roast of the Duchess of Sussex, the audience didn’t just laugh — they erupted. What started as a playful jab quickly spiraled into a full-on comedic takedown, leaving Meghan and Harry’s once-glamorous brand wobbling under the weight of Hollywood mockery.
For years, the couple positioned themselves as rebels who broke free from the monarchy. But now? They’re the punchline.
From Royal Rebels to Comedy Targets
In the early days of “Megxit,” Meghan and Harry enjoyed sympathy and admiration. They were seen as bold truth-tellers, unafraid to walk away from Buckingham Palace. But Colin Jost’s SNL roast flipped the script.
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Jost zeroed in on the contradictions in Meghan’s public narrative, exposing her carefully curated image.
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The roast didn’t just sting — it set a precedent. Other comedians, from late-night hosts to stand-up stars, followed suit, pouncing on the couple’s inconsistencies.
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Meghan and Harry’s once-resilient PR shield cracked, proving how fragile celebrity image truly is in Hollywood.
“Saturday Night Live just ended Meghan Markle’s brand,” one viewer tweeted. “She’ll never live this down.”
The Comedy Pile-On
Once Colin Jost opened the floodgates, the comedy world didn’t hold back.
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Jimmy Kimmel mocked the couple’s endless interviews, calling them “the Kardashians of Windsor.”
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Trevor Noah ripped into their “privacy plea” while doing back-to-back Netflix specials.
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Meghan’s cooking show, intended as a heartfelt pivot, became a late-night running joke — with comedians questioning if she could even boil water.
What was once seen as courageous storytelling morphed into self-parody. Their “victimhood brand” started collapsing under punchlines sharper than any tabloid headline.
From Sympathy to Satire
The real damage came when comedians began framing Meghan’s story not as tragedy — but as farce.
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Chris Rock turned Meghan’s racism claims into a blockbuster Netflix punchline, making audiences laugh instead of empathize.
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British comedian Simon Brodkin skewered the couple for being “out of touch billionaires” trying to relate to ordinary struggles.
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Even South Park piled on, satirizing Harry’s contradictions and Meghan’s alleged obsession with fame.
Instead of silencing their critics, Meghan and Harry became cartoon characters in the cultural imagination. Their credibility slipped further with every punchline.
The Authenticity Trap
Behind the comedy lurks a deeper issue: the contradiction between Meghan and Harry’s demands for privacy and their constant media presence.
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Harry’s awkward slip-ups during interviews — like his reaction to a Stephen Colbert quote — only highlighted the tension between public image and private reality.
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The couple’s attempts to sell “normalcy” ring hollow when paired with multi-million-dollar streaming deals.
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Audiences see the irony, and comedians amplify it — turning their contradictions into endless material.
In the modern age, comedians aren’t just entertainers. They’re cultural critics. And right now, they’re framing Meghan and Harry as the ultimate case study in failed authenticity.
The Fallout
Colin Jost’s SNL roast wasn’t just a joke — it was a cultural reset. Once untouchable, the Sussexes are now comedy fodder. Their brand, once fueled by sympathy and glamour, is being dismantled punchline by punchline.
And in the cutthroat world of celebrity culture, there’s one unforgiving truth: once the crowd laughs at you, they rarely stop.