Audiences, meet “Archetypes.”
Meghan Markle’s highly anticipated Spotify podcast series made its official debut on Tuesday with an episode featuring University of California, Berkeley, professor Laura Kray and Meghan’s close friend, tennis great Serena Williams. Prince Harry also pops in for a quick hello to Williams, who greets him with an English accent.
The “Archetypes” podcast, a partnership between Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Audio production company and the streaming giant, will have 12 episodes in total. Meghan says in the first episode that she will ”sit down with some of the smartest, funniest, strongest, most passionate women and people I know,” and also plans to interview people she’s never met before.
Next week’s guest will feature the “Queen of Christmas” herself, singer Mariah Carey. A teaser at the top of the episode on Spotify also reveals the voice of producer and actor Mindy Kaling as well as comedian and talk show host Ziwe.
The first episode was released five months after an Archewell Audio spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost in March that the duchess would unveil her first podcast series this summer.
The Duchess of Sussex, in a March teaser, explained the premise of the show.
“I’m Meghan, and this is ‘Archetypes’: the podcast where we dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” the former “Suits” actor says in the short clip.
“I’ll have conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives,” the duchess adds. “And, I’ll talk to historians to understand how we even got here in the first place. ‘Archetypes.’ Coming soon.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex inked their deal with Spotify in December 2020, just a few months after signing a similarly huge deal to produce content for Netflix.
In a press release shared by Spotify at the time, the company said that Archewell Audio’s goal was to highlight diverse voices and produce “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world.”
