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The 66-year-old comedian — who hosted the NBC show from 2005 to 2009 — revealed that he understand why theSuitsalum, 41, took issue with her role as a “briefcase girl” on the series.
“I don’t think Meghan is complaining,” theAmerica’s Got Talentjudge toldUs Weekly. “I think Meghan just said she wanted to do more.It wasn’t fulfilling for her.”
He added, “I don’t think she’s maligningDeal or No Deal. I don’t think there weren’t ever [any] complaints from any of the women. And unlike most shows up until that point, the ladies had more to do. They weren’t just pointing out gifts and opening [cases], a lot of times they were mic’d and they had their input.”
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On herArchetypespodcast earlier this month, the Duchess of Sussex opened up about her experience on the show, telling guestParis Hiltonshe felt “objectified.” Markle said she eventually left the show because of these feelings.
Meghan Markle.Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
“I get it because — I’ve never said this before — but they had this pyramid of 26 beautiful, intelligent women standing there just staring at me like I was a piece of meat,” he shared. “I was in the center, just dressed up in a suit, and I felt like,I am more than this. And they would just look at me, and I had to do nothing.”
“I get it. I felt like nothing,” he added. “And that’s why I’ve moved on and become a judge onAmerica’s Got Talent. I just needed more than to be aDeal or No Dealhost.”
RELATED VIDEO: Whoopi Goldberg Takes Issue withMeghan MarkleSaying She Felt ‘Objectified’ onDeal or No Deal
On the podcast, Markle reflected on being grateful to have a job to pay her bills as she auditioned for acting roles, while also being conflicted about how it stacked up against her previous professional experience.
“I had also studied international relations in college, and there were times I was on set atDeal or No Dealand thinking back to my time working as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina in Buenos Aires and being in the motorcade with the security of treasury at the time and being valued specifically for my brain,” she said. “Here, I was being valued for something quite the opposite.”
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“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,” Markle 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.”
source: people.com
