A Spotify executive called Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'grifters' a day after the Sussexes parted ways with the streaming platform

• Spotify executive Bill Simmons is calling out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for being "grifters."
• Spotify's head of podcast innovation made the comments on his podcast.

A Spotify executive labeled Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "grifters" just 24 hours after it was announced the Sussexes and the streaming platform had parted ways.

Bill Simmons, Spotify's head of podcast innovation and monetization, criticized Meghan and Harry during Friday's episode of his own podcast called The Ringer. About 19 minutes in, Simmons' guest Joe House describes the host as someone who "does a lot of business deals."

"I do? I wish I'd been involved in the Meghan and Harry leave Spotify negotiation," Simmons responds. "The f---ing grifters. That's the podcast that we should've launched with them."

Simmons then described a call he once had with the Duke of Sussex: "I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try to help him with podcast ideas. The grifters."

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

Simmons' comments came after Spotify said on Thursday that "Archetypes," Meghan's podcast, was not being renewed for a second season.

Archewell Productions, the couple's production company, and Spotify said in a joint statement that they'd "mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series" they produced together.

"The podcast will no longer be produced at Spotify as we are mutually parting ways," a representative for Archewell Audio told Insider. It's unclear yet whether there are plans to continue producing the show on another platform.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Sussexes would not get the full $20 million payout from their deal with Spotify, citing people familiar with the matter. Archewell did not produce enough content to be eligible for the full payout, the New York Post reported, citing an unnamed source.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed the deal with Spotify in late 2020, shortly after they decided to step back from royal duties, sharing a desire to become "financially independent."

Besides their partnership with Spotify, the Sussexes also signed a deal with Netflix in September 2020 that was reportedly worth $100 million.

The "Archetypes" podcast was the only project Archewell Audio completed for Spotify, according to the Journal, although it's not clear how many other projects they planned to deliver.

"Archetypes" debuted in August 2022 and shot to the top of Spotify's charts in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. It also won accolades, including a 2022 People's Choice Award.

Over the course of 12 episodes, which featured high-profile guests such Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, and Paris Hilton, Meghan discussed and aimed to dismantle labels that hold women back.

Meghan and Harry aren't the only big names to cut ties with Spotify recently. In April 2022, Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground, also parted ways with the streaming platform.