Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel has confirmed he no longer represents Meghan Markle, telling the Sunday Times in an interview published Saturday that the split, which happened last year, suits him fine.
Asked about the future of Markle’s career, Emanuel didn’t mince words.
“Here’s the great thing: I don’t have to think about that any more,” Emanuel said.
Emanuel is executive chairman of WME Group, the talent agency whose client roster has included Oprah Winfrey, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Affleck, Dwayne Johnson and Kim Kardashian. Page Six reported it reached out to WME to ask whether the agency still represents Markle but had not received a response.
Markle signed with WME in April 2023. By February 2025, multiple sources told Page Six the agency had dropped her, though WME denied it at the time, stating, “WME continues to represent Meghan and Archewell (her company with her husband, Prince Harry).”
Page Six reported that Markle had not held a meeting with Emanuel since January 2024, despite reportedly continuing to meet with her day-to-day agents. One industry insider told the outlet Markle was let go because she was “too demanding” and “difficult to work with.”
According to Page Six sources, tension between Markle and Emanuel boiled over after an outburst in January 2024, when she reportedly demanded a meeting “and expected decks and plans,” though it remains unclear whether that request concerned her own projects or Archewell. “Ari was done with her,” one insider said.
When Markle signed with WME in 2023, sources told Page Six the deal was meant to establish her as a “power player” in Hollywood. “Even though she is, of course, an actress, this isn’t about movies or shows for Meghan to star in, it is about creating projects for her to produce – she wants to run the show,” one insider said at the time. Another source added that Archewell’s representation by WME was meant to “bolster Harry and Meghan’s bid to become power players in the production arena.”
Markle, 45, and Prince Harry, 42, have since relocated back to the United Kingdom with their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
The couple still commands significant earning power outside the WME relationship. Branding expert Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Page Six earlier this month that Harry can command steep fees for speaking engagements.
“For a keynote, he’s getting anywhere from $250,000 to $750,000 and for elite, exclusive events close to $1 million,” Schiffer said.
Schiffer noted that not all of Harry’s public appearances are paid. “A lot of his microphone is largely going to be unpaid, but he’s getting the attention, and that keeps him in the spotlight and further bookable for other things,” he said.
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