‘Deal or No Deal' is responding to Meghan Markle's claim of objectifying women on the show. Lucas Green — the chief content officer at Banijay, which owns the Deal or No Deal format spoke to Variety in an interview published on Wednesday, May 24.
“No, but we are constantly evolving the format so that it isn’t the same show it was 15-plus years ago,” Green told the outlet. “A lot of work goes into modernizing our formats to ensure they represent our values as a company and wider society. The U.K. version, for example, will continue to use members of the public from all walks of life to open the boxes [instead of models].”
Markle worked on the show from 2006 to 2007 and spoke out about how she felt like a “bimbo” during her time on it.
“When I look back at that time, I’ll never forget this one detail,” the ‘Suits' alum recalled during an episode of her “Archetypes” podcast per US Weekly. “There was a woman who ran the show and she’d be there backstage and I can still hear her … she’d go, ‘Markle, suck it in! Markle, suck it in!’”
She added that her coworkers who were also briefcase models were “smart women.” However, she said the show failed to “focus” on their intelligence.
“I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage,” the Archewell cofounder continued. “I didn’t like being forced to be all looks and little substance, and that’s how it felt for me at the time — being reduced to this specific archetype.”
Follow Us
Subscribe