Meghan Markle pulled off becoming a 'victim' while living in a castle: comedian
The 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex has frequently been the subject of Dillon's rants on his podcast, "The Tim Dillon Show," which the 40-year-old launched in 2019.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Dillon explained why the former "Suits" actress has become one of his favorite comedic targets.
"I think it's just that she came to prominence at a time when there was a real cultural cachet to being a victim," Dillon said. "And I thought it was a very funny way to be a victim, and she found a way to be a victim while living in a castle.
"And I always found that very funny," he continued. "I think she's a great comedic actress. I think that there was real currency in being a victim when she rose to prominence, and she became a victim living in a castle married to a prince with the royal wedding, and I thought that was very funny.
"It's hard to pull it off," Dillon added. "She did it, to her credit. You know, most people that you know were putting out that they were victims during that era were, to their credit, not members of the royal family."
Dillon also shared his thoughts on Markle's influence over her husband, Prince Harry.
"Harry seems like he's kind of been led around and he kind of doesn't know what's going on," he said. "It's probably all an adventure for him, right?
Representatives for Markle and Harry declined to comment on Dillon's remarks.
WATCH: Meghan Markle pulled off becoming a 'victim' while living in a castle: comedian Tim Dillon
Markle and Harry, who married in 2018, announced they were stepping down as working members of the British royal family in January 2020. At the time, the pair also revealed plans to leave the United Kingdom and move to Canada, though they eventually settled in Montecito, California, where they are raising their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The couple initially claimed their decision to step away from royal life stemmed from their desire to become financially independent. The couple were said to be frustrated Buckingham Palace prevented them from developing their "Sussex Royal" brand, the BBC reported. However, during a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the two said intense media scrutiny on Markle and the lack of support from the royal family were major factors in their exit.
Markle revealed that the hounding by the press and online abuse led her to have suicidal thoughts. While speaking with Winfrey, the couple also leveled explosive allegations of racism against an unnamed member of the royal family.
According to the BBC, when they stepped down as senior royals, Harry's father, King Charles III, gave them "a substantial sum" to help establish a new life. They set up the Archewell foundation and took on several commercial deals, including one with Netflix.
In 2022, Markle and Harry further aired their grievances about the treatment they said they had received from the royal family and the media in their Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan." They alleged that members of the royal family, including King Charles, his brother Prince William and his sister-in-law Kate Middleton were jealous of Markle's popularity.
The pair claimed they suffered "abuse" when they broke from royal tradition and opted not to take a photo in front of the hospital after the birth of Archie in 2019. Harry also alleged that William and other royals worked to undermine him and Markle in the press and that his older brother flew into a rage when he announced the couple's intentions of stepping down from their roles.
In March 2024, Markle launched her lifestyle brand, which was originally named American Riviera Orchard. Due to trademark woes, it was renamed "As Ever" in February. The gourmet products, including teas, baking mixes and jams, sold out in under an hour. The $28 wildflower honey sold out in less than five minutes, Vanity Fair reported. Markle's latest Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan," which showcased her love of cooking and entertaining, premiered March 4.
The eight-episode series was mercilessly torn apart by royal watchers and less-than-impressed viewers on social media for appearing inauthentic. The show also received poor reviews in the U.S. and U.K. However, the show made it into Netflix's Top 10 within a week of its release, and it will return for a second season this fall.
In May, Markle's popularity in the U.K. hit an all-time low, according to a YouGov poll. The poll found that only 20% of U.K. adults had a favorable view of Markle, while 65% of respondents had a negative view of the duchess. YouGov reported that only 27% of U.K. adults had a positive opinion of Harry, while 63% viewed the prince unfavorably.
During a recent appearance on the "We Might Be Drunk" podcast, Dillon argued the public's approval ratings most likely mattered little to Markle.
"Right now, I think part of it is just being famous whether you're liked or hated," he said. "I don't know if it matters if people like or hate you. It's like, obviously, you don't want to be hated. I guess some people don't want to, but I don't think she really cares. She doesn't seem to care."
The comedian went on to say that Markle would probably be unbothered if she were to view one of his podcast videos in which he criticized her.
"If somebody showed her a clip of me probably, and she goes, 'Who cares? F------ fat idiots," he said.
Dillon shared his opinion that Markle was enthusiastic about being a member of the royal family at the beginning of her marriage to Harry.
"She was so into it," he said. "She was like doing the appearances and everything like that."
Dillon said he believed Markle was aware that there was a trade-off involved when it came to enjoying the fame and fortune of being a royal.
"The deal with the British royal family is that the people pay for their lifestyles," he said. "Their taxes allow these people to live like Disney characters.
"But the payment for that is that they get to know everything about your life," Dillon added. "Meaning, like, it's the ultimate reality show to them. They don't have the Kardashians. They have the royal family.
"They're into it because that's their entertainment, and then Meghan Markle came in and goes, 'What do you mean you want a picture of my kid?'
"And you go, 'It's our kid. We pay for all of this s---, and you people belong to us.' She had to know that. You can't not know that going in."
Dillon joked that he had come to appreciate Markle's apparent disregard for whether she was liked or disliked by the public.
"I like her now. I think she's won me over," he said. "To me, the best thing in the world is somebody who goes, 'Oh, you hate me? Good. You'll really hate this.'
"It gives you nowhere to go," he said. "Yeah, you just have nowhere to go now."
WATCH: Comedian Tim Dillon weighs in on the biggest challenge of starting his podcast
In addition to poking fun at Markle, Dillon's podcast features the comedian sharing personal stories and his thoughts on news topics, including cultural issues in America, the entertainment industry and politics.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Dillon recalled that his friend Louis Gomez, who hosts the popular podcast "Legion of Skanks," inspired him to start his own podcast.
"He told me he thought I would do a good job doing a podcast," Dillon said. "So I tried it."
Dillon told Fox News Digital he found podcasting challenging at first, though "The Tim Dillon Show" now draws 1 million viewers per week, according to Deadline.
"It's difficult, so it took a long time to get good at it," he said. "I think when I first started, I was trying to figure out how to make the things I was interested in interesting to other people and entertaining to other people. And that takes a minute."
In April, Dillon's second comedy special, "I'm Your Mother," was released on Netflix. The special was Dillon's second for the streaming platform after 2022's "This Is Your Country." The comedian has performed stand-up at both national and international venues and has dabbled in acting with appearances in the 2023 horror film "Thanksgiving" and the 2024 "Joker" sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux."
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Dillon weighed in on what's next for him.
"A defamation suit from Meghan Markle, perhaps," he joked. "No, I don't know. More podcasting, more stand-up, more talking, more hot air. What's next for any of us?"
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