Twitter users dragged Politico contributor Joanna Weiss for including Meghan Markle in a list of “narcissists” in a Monday article, with some taking to the platform to slam the decision as “abusive trash.”
“Elon Musk, Sam Bankman-Fried, Ye (né Kanye West), Elizabeth Holmes, Meghan Markle, Donald Trump: All of them used attention as currency and ego as fuel, and were rewarded, for a time, with what they craved.
“We’re drawn to people who love themselves,” Weiss wrote in the article.
“Somewhere between the fifth and sixth hour of ‘Harry and Meghan…’ my natural sympathy for the couple started turning to irritation, and it occurred to me that ego has its limits. And it struck me that the overreach that led to the Sussexes’ critically panned mega-series is the same impulse that turned Elon Musk into a terror on Twitter, that prompted Ye to up the ante of outrageous behavior until he crossed the line into blatant antisemitism, that sent Bankman-Fried from the top of the world to a Bahamian jail,” she added.
A tweet of the article’s thumbnail containing the likes of Musk, Trump, West and Markle among others, shared by a small business owner named Chris Evans, tacked on a caption that “one of these is not like the other.”
“Wow, that’s some abusive trash, @politico. Shame on you.” “General Hospital” actress Maura West tweeted in the thread.
Former tennis player Martina Navratilova slammed the decision to include Markle on the list as well, saying, “Politico sucks for this.”
Television host Ted Allen ripped the decision as well, joining others who claimed that Markle is unlike Trump, Musk or others who made the list, writing, “It’s borderline libelous to include the delightful #MeganMarkle with those psychos. She once judged #ChoppedJunior, & could not have been nicer.”
Others criticized the inclusion as racially motivated, with some accusing Weiss of not only being a racist, but also of being jealous of Markle. Though Weiss wrote the article as a contributor, some lambasted Politico itself for allegedly having a history of criticizing Black and biracial women.
Critics even spawned the hashtag #joannaweissracist as the story gained traction.
Weiss, later in her article, critiqued Markle for making legitimate complaints “wedged between glamour shots,” alleging her search for attention is only embellished by tragic footage and stories that encapsulate their lives.
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“The legitimate complaints are wedged between glamour shots, from footage of Meghan getting fitted for ballgowns to a vast collection of flattering photos and videos they took during their royal exit, apparently preparing for a photogenic tell-all. Even sympathetic critics have groused that there’s little new here, beyond the vanity,” she wrote.
Others included in Weiss’ piece include Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.