MasterChef contestant-turned-judge Poh Ling Yeow has shed light on the controversial guest appearance of Meghan Markle on the cooking show’s latest season, admitting there’s “so much public conjecture” that trails the polarising figure’s every move.
Meghan and her husband Harry, the Duke of Sussex, enjoyed a four-day visit to Australia last week in their first jaunt Down Under since their royal tour of 2018.
Deviating from the couple’s humanitarian and mental health-related appointments on Wednesday, Meghan was invited to the MasterChef set in Melbourne as a guest judge, with her appearance quickly teased in the long-running show’s recent promotions.
Tasked with introducing the much-maligned personality, Poh explained to KIIS radio the impression Meghan left on set, which might come as a surprise to her detractors.
“She was so delightful,” Poh said.
“Nothing but praise for the time that we spent with her — very easy going, good sense of humour, consummate professional. I mean she’s an actor right? So she slid right into that judging role.”
However, Poh did acknowledge that the Duchess has a famously divisive public persona.
And when pushed to confirm whether the actress was “genuinely lovely”, suggested the root of the hostility towards her was difficult to identify.
“Genuinely — I think it’s very interesting, because when you drill down, you can’t really, no one can actually, really say why (they don’t like her)“, Poh added.
“It’s one of those situations. And at the end of the day, I really feel for her, because she’s still a human, there’s an emotional human at the end of that, with all this hatred that people like spitting out.”
Ironically, there have been reports that Poh herself is the cause of some annoyance from Meghan and her team.
Welcoming the Duchess into the MasterChef cauldron, Poh used the word “royalty” to address the calibre of celebrity guests that had come before her.
“We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before but no one like this,” Poh announced, beckoning Meghan excitedly through the studio doors.
“All the way from sunny California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia … The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”
An insider told News.com.au that Meghan was left “very frustrated” after seeing the promo go to air, revealing her team had requested wording pertaining to her “royal” status not be used.
“They were outside the doors when it was filmed, so didn’t know what had been said,” the source said.
The couple’s standing as royals, particularly Meghan’s, has been a point of contention in recent years following the pair’s decision to step down as working royals in January 2020 to pursue life in the US.
Residing in a Mediterranean-style mansion in Montecito, California, Meghan has used her home as the setting for her lifestyle content, famously filming much of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan at the property.
But not every MasterChef fan is keen on hearing from the home cook, with many airing their disdain on social media in response to the show’s teaser clips.
“Duh. That’s an all time low there MasterChef. Please let us know well in advance of the screening of this so I can wash my hair instead,” one person said.
“Yep, be turning off that night, I was a big fan of Masterchef Australia but really..... What a mistake,” another wrote.
Others agreed the use of “royalty” was a regrettable choice, and asked why it was not edited out or re-shot.
“HAVEN’T THEY STRIPPED OR ‘GIVEN UP THE TITLES’? SO PLEASE EXPLAIN THE COMMENTARY, INTRODUCTION?” one fan wrote.
Another commented: “They give up the title. So it’s Just Meghan Markle”.
Interestingly, Meghan has publicly reminded Hollywood mates that her name is no longer ‘Meghan Markle’ either, correcting actress Mindy Kaling on the Duchess’ Netflix series.
“It’s so funny you keep calling me Meghan Markle,” she said.
“You know it’s Meghan Sussex now.”
According to Sky News, insiders reported Meghan would be paid approximately $380,000 for the single day of MasterChef filming.
That figure is a far cry from singer Katy Perry’s fee when the pop star appeared on the show in 2020, which was just $100,000.
Harry and Meghan have since returned home to California, with the Duchess’ one-episode appearance on the cooking show slated for later this season.
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