One of Hollywood’s most influential dealmakers has finally confirmed what had been the subject of industry speculation for more than a year: WME and Meghan Markle went their separate ways.
Ari Emanuel, the executive chairman of WME Group and one of the best-known power brokers in the entertainment business, addressed his former relationship with the Duchess of Sussex while promoting his new memoir, Roll the Calls.
Asked by The Sunday Times where he believed Meghan’s career was headed after WME parted ways with her in 2025, Emanuel offered an unusually blunt response.
“Here’s the great thing: I don’t have to think about that anymore,” he said.
The remark is striking because WME had previously pushed back publicly against reports that Meghan had been dropped.
In February 2025, Page Six reported that Hollywood insiders were buzzing about a possible split between Meghan and the agency. At the time, however, WME denied that she had been dropped and said the company continued to represent both Meghan and Archewell.
Emanuel’s latest comments now establish that a separation did ultimately take place in 2025, although he did not publicly detail exactly when it happened or explain the circumstances behind it.
Meghan signed with WME in April 2023 as she attempted to build a new entertainment and business empire several years after she and Prince Harry stepped away from senior royal duties.
The signing attracted enormous attention.
Her representation reportedly included Emanuel, veteran talent agent Brad Slater and Jill Smoller, whose clients have included tennis superstar Serena Williams. WME was expected to help develop Meghan’s opportunities in film and television production, brand partnerships and other business ventures.
But questions about the relationship began circulating long before Emanuel publicly confirmed the split.
Page Six reported in February 2025 that Meghan had not met with Emanuel since January 2024, although she continued dealing with other WME agents.
The publication also cited unnamed entertainment-industry sources who characterized Meghan as “too demanding” and “difficult to work with.”
Those descriptions were allegations from anonymous sources, not findings independently established by WME or Meghan.
One source further claimed that tensions escalated following an alleged early-2024 dispute in which Meghan wanted a meeting about her future plans and expected detailed presentations outlining possible career moves.
“Ari was done with her,” the unnamed source told Page Six.
WME denied the broader claim at the time that it had dropped Meghan, making Emanuel’s new acknowledgment particularly significant.
The breakup also appears to have happened during a crucial period in Meghan’s attempt to reinvent herself as a lifestyle entrepreneur and television personality.
Her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan premiered on March 4, 2025, after its original January launch was delayed because of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
The eight-episode first season featured Meghan cooking, gardening and entertaining alongside guests including Mindy Kaling, chef Roy Choi and Alice Waters.
Netflix said the first season accumulated 5.3 million views during the first half of 2025 and reached the company’s Global Top 10 television list. It also became Netflix’s most-watched culinary series released during that period.
A second season followed in August 2025, with guests including Chrissy Teigen, Tan France, David Chang and Jay Shetty. Netflix also released a holiday special in December.
The momentum did not last.
By January 2026, multiple reports said there were no plans for a third season of With Love, Meghan. People reported that although the regular series was not moving forward at that time, the possibility of future specials had not necessarily been ruled out.
Viewership also fell substantially.
The Guardian reported that Season 2 attracted roughly 2 million views during the second half of 2025 and ranked No. 1,124 among Netflix programs during that period.
That distinction matters because some reports described the series as having been formally canceled. Netflix itself had not publicly announced a conventional cancellation when the reports first surfaced.
Meghan simultaneously tried to establish herself in the lifestyle business through As Ever, the food and home brand developed with support from Netflix.
The brand debuted with products including fruit spreads, honey and tea and initially generated considerable interest. When Netflix announced a new agreement with Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions in August 2025, the company said As Ever’s first product collection had sold out in less than an hour.
But that relationship changed in March 2026.
Netflix ended its financial involvement with As Ever, while Meghan retained the business and continued operating it independently.
An As Ever spokesperson said at the time that the company had experienced “meaningful and rapid growth” and was ready for its next chapter on its own.
Variety subsequently reported that Netflix’s withdrawal from the consumer brand came amid broader tensions in its business relationship with the Sussexes. The publication spoke with six people familiar with Netflix and Harry and Meghan’s dealings who described difficulties behind the scenes.
Still, it would be inaccurate to say Netflix completely cut ties with Harry and Meghan.
In August 2025, Archewell Productions and Netflix replaced their original arrangement with a multi-year first-look deal covering future film and television projects. Netflix publicly said at the time that it remained interested in developing projects with the couple.
That leaves Meghan in a very different professional position from the one she occupied when she joined WME in 2023.
She continues to operate As Ever and remains involved in Archewell Productions, but her relationship with one of Hollywood’s most powerful talent agencies is officially over.
And Emanuel’s response suggests he has little interest in revisiting the matter.
After years of speculation about whether WME had really walked away, his six-word conclusion was about as clear as Hollywood gets:
“I don’t have to think about that anymore.”
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