Meghan Markle's Sweet Gesture For Wildfire Victim Overshadowed By Cringey Attempt At Relatability

After devastating wildfires occurred in Los Angeles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made an effort to support impacted residents by monetary and emotional support. "Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles," an insider explained to Page Six. "Her heart is completely broken for all the lives that have been lost and for those whose homes have been destroyed in these fires." On February 4, Meghan posted an Instagram video demonstrating a way she was helping one family. The duchess recounted how she was talking with woman and her daughter and learned that the teen was particularly saddened to have lost a brand-new Billie Eilish concert tee. Meghan then went on a mission to find someone who knew Eilish. In the video, the duchess excitedly looked through a stack of merch that Eilish provided. "You guys, I don't even know what all stuff this means, but it's signed for her!" Meghan enthused.

Comments on the post were turned off, but that didn't stop people from offering their opinions elsewhere on social media. While some praised Meghan for her thoughtful actions, others took issue with her presentation style, particularly the part where she thanked Adam Levine and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, for making the gift possible. "Meghan has always been one to name drop celebrities bigger than her in order to get attention on social media," wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). "She could have done this privately but instead decided to make a video."

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, took some flak when she and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, visited the parts of Los Angeles that were damaged by the wildfires, with Justine Bateman throwing them under the bus, branding them "Disaster Tourists" on X. Some critics of Meghan's attempt to help the teen who lost her prized Billie Eilish t-shirt revived this insult. "This disaster tourism has now turned into disaster merching," claimed one X user. Others questioned the gesture's authenticity and believed the entertainment agency WME was involved. To some, the duchess' video felt performative, and they expressed skepticism about Meghan's decision to wear a top that had her kids' names emblazoned on the neckline.

Others acknowledged the difficulty of Meghan's efforts. "Celebrity good intentions are always weird," remarked one user on Reddit. Observing that Meghan returned to Instagram after a big hiatus, they added, "anything she does is going to be clunky until she finds her rhythm." One commenter on People noted that before she joined the royal family, Meghan had made similar gestures in the past and communicated her efforts on social media.

For all those who accused Meghan of self-promotion, one LA resident praised the duchess for reminding people that disaster recovery is much lengthier than the news cycle. "This is not only a super nice gesture but she knows that people will talk about [the] fires," they wrote on Reddit.