Things were bad enough for the Duchess of Sussex after she found out that one of her closest friends had threatened another Black woman’s career. Then, her friend decided to drag her into it. Now, Meghan Markle is “mortified” by Jessica Mulroney’s white privilege “feud”—which we’re air-quoting, because let’s be real: Her actions aren’t a matter of dispute, debate, or disagreement. Racist behavior is racism, period.
Mulroney, 40, first made headlines on June 12 after Black influencer Sasha Exeter called out the I Do, Redo star for using “textbook white privilege” to target and threaten her over a Black Lives Matter post. The blogger took to Instagram to share a lengthy IGTV video exposing the “threat in writing” that Markle’s friend sent after she “took offense” to her initiative, which called on silent white allies to finally speak up.
According to Exeter, the CTV host “wrongly assumed that my generic call to action on my Instagram Stories was a direct and blatant call out to her,” and proceeded to defend her silence on social media. Things escalated to the point where Mulroney blocked Exeter and claimed to drag her name through the mud: “I have also spoken to companies and people about the way you’ve treated me unfairly. You think your voice matters. Well, it only matters if you express it without shaming people who are simply trying to learn. Good luck,” read Mulroney’s quote, according to Exeter.
As soon as Exeter posted about this targeted harassment, Mulroney publically apologized. Then, she privately messaged Exeter with plans to file a libel lawsuit against her. When Exter went public about that, even more Instagram apologies ensued. Mulroney has since been pulled from her CTV shows. And now, the “Duchess’s best friend” and “unofficial maid-of-honor” will have to face what Markle thinks.
According to a source close to Markle, the Duchess is “hurt” and struggling to accept this “painful” situation. Markle reportedly believes that Mulroney was “so tone-deaf while using her privilege to bully Sasha Exeter.” While the source adds that Mulroney has since reached out to Markle to address her “misguided and insensitive comments,” it’s unclear if the pair will remain friends.
One thing’s for certain: Meghan Markle’s had her own fair share of dealing with racists and racism. If Mulroney’s sticking around, she’ll need to start learning and listening to Black women now.