Australian talk show host under fire for laughing at Meghan Markle’s nursery fire scare

Meghan Markle recalled how son Archie’s nursery caught on fire during premiere episode of Archetypes podcast

A talk show host has come under fire for lauhging at Meghan Markle after she revealed in her podcast that her son Archie’s nursery had caught on fire.

Markle shared the shocking story during the premiere episode of her Spotify podcast series, Archetypes. The Duchess of Sussex was joined by friend and tennis star Serena Williams when she opened up about the harrowing story, which took place during a 2019 royal tour of South Africa when Archie was just four months old.

Markle then expressed her dismay that she and Prince Harry had to attend another royal engagement just moments after they learned about the fire.

On Wednesday (24 August), hosts of the Australian talk show Today discussed Markle’s new podcast. But after hearing the story, host Karl Stefanovic laughed it off.

“So, just to get this right. The baby’s, what, not even there?” he asked co-host Allison Langdon.

“The nanny had taken the baby from the room before the fire ignited,” she clarified.

Stefanovic scoffed: “So, the baby’s not there when the fire catches, right? And because the baby wasn’t there, she was going to have difficulties going to a function?”

“Oh my god,” he muttered.

Langdon urged her co-host to give Markle the benefit of the doubt when she said the duchess was a “new mum” with a little baby in another country, but Stefanovic burst into laughter at the defense.

“That is not you talking,” he told Langdon. “You are a woman who says, ‘Grow a set.’ That’s what you would say normally.”

Following the broadcast, many people on social media called out Karl Stefanovic for mocking Meghan Markle’s personal experience, and praised her for sharing the nursery fire story despite critics.

“‘Grow a pair’ really!!? What world do you live in,” wrote one Twitter user.

“Just heard the podcast. It’s great,” replied another user.

“Go Meghan, amazing work,” said someone else.

This comes after Piers Morgan took to Twitter on Tuesday to criticise Markle’s retelling of Archie’s nursery fire. The broadcaster wrote: “He wasn’t even in the room & nobody was harmed. Can you imagine the Queen whining about having to [attend] an engagement in this circumstance? Markle’s victimhood knows no bounds, nor does her thirst to trash the royals whilst making $$$ from them. It’s shameless & pathetic.”

The Duchess of Sussex released the first episode of her podcast Archetypes on Tuesday, as part of her multi-million dollar deal with Spotify. The series was also produced by Archewell Audio, the production company founded by Markle and Prince Harry in conjunction with their organisation, Archewell.

The podcast seeks to explore the labels and stereotypes that try to hold women back.