Meghan Markle has said she was grateful for the income and health insurance she received as a briefcase model on the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, but disliked feeling that the role valued her appearance over her intelligence. The reports documenting her comments do not establish the headline’s $800 pay figure, so it should not be treated as verified.
Was Meghan Markle paid $800 per episode?
The available contemporaneous reports do not confirm that Markle earned $800 per episode—or establish what the $800 figure refers to. That makes the amount unverified, not definitively false. The reports describe what she said about the job’s income and benefits, but they do not provide a pay rate. Vanity Fair’s October 18, 2022 report and ELLE’s October 18, 2022 report cover her comments; neither substantiates the $800 amount.
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| 1 |
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Deal or No Deal DVD Game | $18.97 | Buy on Amazon |
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What Markle said about the job
Markle discussed her time on the show in an episode of her Archetypes podcast while speaking with Paris Hilton. She said the job helped pay her bills while she was auditioning for acting work, and that it came with union membership and health insurance. As ELLE reported, Markle said, “So while Deal or No Deal wasn’t about acting, I was still really grateful as an auditioning actress to have a job that could pay my bills. I had income, I was part of the union, I had health insurance, it was great.”
Her gratitude for the work existed alongside dissatisfaction with how she experienced the role. She told Hilton, “I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance.” Markle said she felt valued for her appearance rather than her intellect and described feeling objectified. Those are her account and interpretation of the job, not an independently established finding about the show’s working conditions.
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#1 Best Overall
Why Markle said she left
Markle’s explanation was that the role did not offer the kind of acting work she wanted and left her feeling reduced to her looks. She did not describe the decision as a rejection of the income or benefits; she explicitly said she was grateful for those. The reported comments frame her departure as a matter of how the job felt and what it did—and did not—allow her to do as an aspiring actor.
What she recalled about backstage preparation
Markle also described getting ready backstage before tapings and recalled a woman telling her to “suck it in.” This is a detail from Markle’s recollection, as reported by Vanity Fair and ELLE; it should not be generalized into a verified production rule or policy.
Rank #2
- DVD Interactive board game based on the hit TV Game Show Deal or No Deal
- Starring Howie Mandel and the case girls
- Play exactly like the game show
- DVD Interactive
- For 1 or more players
Howie Mandel’s response
Former host Howie Mandel said he understood why Markle might have found the role unfulfilling and did not think she was attacking the show. Vanity Fair quoted him on October 28, 2022: “I think Meghan just said she wanted to do more. It wasn’t fulfilling for her.” His response is consistent with the distinction in Markle’s comments: she acknowledged the practical benefits while explaining why the work was not satisfying for her.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- The original Deal or No Deal
- Deal or No Deal Secret Vault Games
Rank #4
Rank #3
- Deal Or No Deal Interactive DVD Game (Pack Of 12)
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