Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are hardly short on famous friends. But a media industry veteran says the couple’s presence at any social event carries a hidden cost, and some celebrities have quietly started doing the math before accepting.
The warning comes from Variety journalist Matt Donnelly, who discussed the issue on The Royalist podcast with Tom Sykes for The Daily Beast. According to Reality Tea, Donnelly pointed to last November’s Kris Jenner birthday bash as the clearest example of what he described as an unavoidable PR headache that follows the Sussexes.
“So I think to me, that’s a microcosm of what it’s like for established showbusiness people who probably want to be welcoming,” Donnelly said. He added that even a routine social moment can spiral fast, telling listeners, “Even extending a simple social invite turns into a five car PR pile up.”
What happened at Kris Jenner’s party
The party in question was Kris Jenner’s 007-themed 70th birthday celebration, held at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Beverly Hills home on November 8, 2025. The guest list was stacked, with Beyonce, Jay-Z, Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Adele, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Mark Zuckerberg, and Stevie Wonder all reportedly in attendance.
The trouble started almost immediately for Harry and Meghan. The party fell the night before Remembrance Sunday in the UK, a date when the royal family traditionally takes part in solemn ceremonies honoring fallen soldiers. In previous years, the couple had spent Remembrance weekend visiting military families and veterans. This year, they were photographed partying in Beverly Hills.
Photos from the event circulated online after Kim Kardashian and Jenner posted them to Instagram, with images showing Meghan alongside Jenner and greeting a senior Netflix executive. Shortly after, every photo featuring the Sussexes was quietly removed from both accounts.
The photo fallout
Kim Kardashian later explained why on her own platform. “I think they realized it was Remembrance Day,” she said, per E! Online. “And they didn’t want to be seen at a party, even though it’s already up, you know, and then taken down.” She added, “So, we took them down to respect Remembrance Day.”
The optics drew immediate criticism. A source told SheKnows that the couple “messed up big time,” claiming the situation handed Prince William leverage. One unnamed UK insider called the timing “unconscionable,” noting that Harry, as a veteran himself, had a particular responsibility that night.
Observers also noted that Harry wore a red poppy pin in recognition of Remembrance Day, while Meghan did not, a detail that circulated widely online and added another layer of criticism.
A Hollywood source had a more blunt take on the entrance itself. “Why didn’t they just come in the side door like Beyonce and Jay-Z?” the source told SheKnows. “If Harry and Meghan didn’t want attention, they should have just asked for the side door.”
The bigger problem for the Sussexes
Donnelly’s point was not that the party was necessarily wrong. It was that any public association with the couple carries unpredictable consequences. His argument is that this is precisely why some well-known figures in Hollywood may be more cautious about being seen with them, not out of hostility, but out of simple self-preservation.
This comes as the couple faces broader questions about their footing in the entertainment industry. According to a separate Variety report, Netflix ended its partnership with Meghan’s As Ever brand in early March, and her lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, was not renewed for a third season. Sources told Variety that the couple felt “a bit unfairly portrayed” but acknowledged concerns about the impact on future deals.
For now, the Kris Jenner party remains the most visible recent example of how quickly a night out with the Sussexes can turn into a multi-day story that nobody wanted. And according to Donnelly, some celebrities are already drawing their own conclusions.
