A-list singer turned down Meghan's invite to appear on Netflix show: report
Meghan Markle extended an invitation to Dolly Parton to appear on her Netflix series but was turned down, according to a new report.
The first season of the Duchess of Sussex's show, With Love, Meghan, was released in March and featured eight episodes, each with different guests.
According to royal and entertainment commentator Kinsey Schofield, the country singer's team was 'livid' at the request.
'Because no, they don't want to risk Dolly's reputation Q score [and] her popularity by associating with Meghan Markle,' she alleged in a recent podcast episode of The Nerve with Maureen Callahan.
'They knew that this ask was just to give Meghan Markle credibility in this lifestyle space, a space that Dolly does have a lot of credibility in.
'Dolly is not only incredibly popular and loved by the general public, but she also is somebody who can float around within these different places.
'Her team really feels like Meghan was trying to take advantage of her popularity.'
Those who did feature in the first season of With Love, Meghan, included the duchess' former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer and actress Mindy Kaling.
It was confirmed earlier this year that the lifestyle and cooking show had been renewed for a second season – with rumours circulating recently that a third has also been greenlit from Netflix.
Shortly after the release of season one, and amid persistent allegations of Meghan being 'difficult' to work with, a staffer spoke to People magazine about their experience, insisting she was 'warm', 'approachable' and 'genuine' throughout production.
'She made sure everyone felt included, from Netflix executives to our director to every PA on set. No one was left out,' he said.
'Most of the time, we're expected to fade into the background, to be invisible. But in this show, we were part of it. We were included. It was a very unique and refreshing experience.'
Meghan was also open to learning throughout the process, according to the crew member.
'She didn't seem too married to any one idea. If something didn't go perfectly, she was fine with it and moved on to the next thing,' he said.
The staffer added that she was 'a great hostess' and that there were occasional set visits from Prince Harry and the couple's two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
'Whenever Harry visited set, he was always super polite and friendly. But it was clear he wanted this to be Meghan's moment to shine,' he said.
'She was super attentive and doting on [the kids]. We would give them headphones so they could listen to audio.'
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