Sandra Lee defends Meghan Markle’s cooking show, says ‘backlash’ doesn’t ‘seem fair’
Sandra Lee showed some love to “With Love, Meghan.”
The famous chef, 58, defended Meghan Markle’s Netflix cooking and lifestyle show in a recent interview with US Weekly.
“I was actually surprised about the backlash to the show. It didn’t seem fair,” Lee told the outlet at the New York Women in Film and Television 2025 MUSE Awards.
“[I’ve been] in the lifestyle space for years. We have mixed relatable and unrepeatable elements [too],” she added.
Lee raved that Markle’s series “is very well done” and is “beautifully filmed.”
“[It has] calming, serene content — and she even used my trick of using a plastic bag as a piping bag for her cake!” the “Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes” host added. “I’m happy for her. Her crew is doing a great job.”
Andrew Cuomo’s ex also offered Markle “good luck” on the second season of her show. “Keep on going, and inspire people to make beautiful things,” she said.
Markle released “With Love, Meghan” on March 4 as part of her and Prince Harry’s $100 million deal with Netflix.
The eight-episode first season features Markle showing off her cooking and gardening skills alongside some of her famous friends, including Mindy Kaling and her former “Suits” co-star Abigail Spencer.
However, the show did not receive universal praise, with some critics calling it “pointless,” “exhausting” and “boring.”
“With Love, Meghan” pulled in 526,000 US households in the first five days it was available, according to data obtained by data analytics firm Samba TV. By comparison, Part 1 of Meghan and Harry’s 2022 docuseries series, which followed their 2020 exit from the royal family, drew 2.1 million US households in roughly the same number of days, Samba’s data showed.
Along with her show, Markle is launching a new lifestyle brand called As Ever. Her first line of As Ever products includes a signature raspberry jam. Netflix also has a stake in Markle’s business.
In a recent interview with Variety, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos stood by working with Markle and said the mother of two “is underestimated in terms of her influence on culture.”
“People are fascinated with Meghan Markle. She and Harry are overly dismissed,” he added.
In their partnership with Netflix, Markle and Prince Harry, 40, also produced “Heart of Invictus,” a documentary following athletes preparing for the Harry-founded Invictus Games, which aired in August 2023.
Harry also came out with his “Polo” documentary on Netflix in December. The project — which barely featured the exiled royal — received a frosty reception from critics.
