Meghan Markle's 'Bimbo' Attack Slapped Down

Meghan Markle upset many fans during her first season of "Archetypes." Before the Duchess of Sussex got her big break in Hollywood, she was a model on the popular game show Deal or No Deal. During a 2022 episode, Meghan explored the history of the word "bimbo" and how it has played a role in her professional journey.

The Suits star was a briefcase model in 2006 and 2007, and although the show has been on the resumes of celebrities such as Chrissy Teigen, Hayley Marie Norman and Claudia Jordan, Meghan felt like the job degraded and undermined her intellect.

"I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks... and little substance," she said. "And that’s how it felt for me at the time being reduced to this specific archetype – the word bimbo."

She later explained that regular grooming services were included in her list of benefits. "We were even given spray-tan vouchers each week because there was a very cookie-cutter idea of precisely what we should look like. It was solely about our beauty," the Northwestern alum divulged. "I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn’t the focus of why we were there and I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach."

"Like I said, I was thankful for the job but not for how it made me feel, which was not smart," she concluded.

Despite her loaded commentary, Lucas Green – the chief content officer at entertainment company Banijay — shared his thoughts about the culture of the series. "We are constantly evolving the format so that it isn’t the same show it was 15-plus years ago," Green told a publication. "A lot of work goes into modernizing our formats to ensure they represent our values as a company and wider society."

The connotation of the word rubbed the Real Housewives of Atlanta star the wrong way, as Jordan told her costars during a 2022 episode of FoxSoul that the group was "never treated them like bimbos."

"For clarity – yes getting a modeling gig on a game show isn’t necessarily about your intellect, but every show the executive producers picked five models with the most outgoing and fun personalities to place mics on, who they knew would engage with the contestants," she explained.

"And Deal or No Deal never treated us like bimbos. We got so many opportunities because of that show," she added.

Green spoke to Variety.