Outrage as Chrissy Teigen appears on Meghan’s Netflix show despite telling a teenage reality star to take her own life – so, how has she joined the royal inner circle?

The trailer for the second season of Meghan Markle’s lifestyle show was released yesterday and it featured a number of celebrity cameos – but one in particular left viewers with a bitter taste. 

Chrissy Teigen’s appearance has cast a shadow over the second installment of With Love, Meghan – even before its release – after outraged Netflix fans highlighted the former Sports Illustrated model’s bullying row. 

In 2021, John Legend’s wife Chrissy faced severe backlash after abusive tweets by the star – dating back to 2011 – resurfaced online. In one, she told then-16-year-old Courtney Stodden – who identifies as they/them – to kill themselves. 

While the star has since apologised, it appeared fans have yet to fully forgive Chrissy for the disparaging tweets towards Courtney after they spotted her laughing and joking in the kitchen with Prince Harry’s wife. 

The appearance of Chrissy in the show is all the more baffling, given Meghan’s propensity to distance herself from pals who find themselves at the centre of controversy.  

Royal fans will remember that Meghan’s former best friend, Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney was seemingly axed from the Duchess’s inner circle after the stylist ‘threatened’ black influencer Sasha Exeter in a row over white privilege in 2020. 

Despite the bullying controversy, however, Chrissy has been close with the Duchess, especially after the Sussexes relocated to California in 2020.  

Now, her appearance on the forthcoming season of With Love, Meghan has called their friendship into question after several people highlighted how the Duchess has championed for stricter online safety regulations while speaking out against cyberbullying.

Last October, Meghan reportedly described herself as being ‘one of them most bullied people in the world’ during a meeting with teenage girls at the youth leadership organisation Girls Inc in Santa Barbara. 

Earlier that year in August, Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation launched the Parents’ Network in support of ‘parents who have first-hand knowledge of the pain and destruction caused by social media use’. 

Netflix viewers highlighted the irony of roping in Chrissy, who said she was ‘ashamed and completely embarrassed’ by the tweets in her public apology to Courtney, for the show helmed by Meghan – who has consistently spoken out about children’s digital safety. 

‘She advocates against online bullying then has Chrissy Teigen on…make it make sense Netflix,’ one X user wrote. 

Another message read: ‘How can Meghan Markle associate with Chrissy Teigen, a self-confessed online bully and troll who purports to suport the Parents Network who are campaigning against this very thing?’

‘This round may destroy her,’ one X user added. ‘Chrissy Teigen guests this season. WTF thought she was a good idea?’ 

A similar comment read: ‘You couldn’t make it up, I wonder if it will help support the parents of the people Chrissy Teigen has bullied?’ 

‘How do you have a charity for the parents of children who took their lives due to social media bullying but be besties with Chrissy Teigen and feature her in your show? I’m truly baffled.’

Courtney incurred relentless bullying both publicly and in private from Chrissy, who tweeted at the then-teen in 2011: ‘My Friday fantasy: you. dirt nap. mmmmmm baby’, followed by: ‘go. to sleep. forever.’

Old tweets from 2013 have also resurfaced in which she described nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis as ‘cocky’ and called Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, then 21, a ‘wh***’.

And ironically enough, Chrissy had stated that she was leaving Twitter before the scandal erupted because she was experiencing too much ‘negative’ abuse.

‘This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively … I’ve always been portrayed as the strong clap back girl but I’m just not,’ she said. 

After the barrage of tweets came to light and people called for the model to be ‘cancelled,’ she issued an apology to Courtney – who was catapulted into the spotlight as the teen bride of the much older Green Mile actor Doug Hutchinson.

‘Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their past bulls**t in front of the entire world. I’m mortified and sad at who I used to be. I was an insecure, attention seeking troll. I am ashamed and completely embarrassed at my behavior but that is nothing compared to how I made Courtney feel,’ she began.

‘I have tried to connect with Courtney privately but since I publicly fueled all this, I want to also publicly apologize. I’m so sorry, Courtney. I hope you can heal now knowing how deeply sorry I am,’ she wrote.

Meghan’s friendship with Chrissy, 39, dates back to the late 2000s when they worked together as models on the TV game show Deal or No Deal at the start of their careers, showing off briefcases containing prizes for contestants.

Speaking to You Magazine back in 2018, Chrissy said: ‘I am especially a fan of Meghan. I was on Deal or No Deal with her and she was lovely. Now everyone asks me what she was like and I say, “Sorry, no dirt. She’s gorgeous”.’

In the interview, she also revealed that she had pre-ordered the Duchess’ cookbook Together, which contained recipes from women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

She added: ‘It’s beautifully done and you can tell how important it is to her. You see how she interacts with people and gets down to eye level with kids.’

‘She is really wonderful and so kind, and just as kind as everyone says she is. She’s a really wonderful girl.’

Back in 2014, Chrissy and Meghan were snapped alongside Nina Agdal and Shay Mitchell in New York City as they participated in the DirecTV Beach Bowl at Pier 40.

The event gathers A-list celebrities, models and athletes for a competitive game of American football. Meghan and Chrissy can be seen posing and holding a trophy together.

It is thought that Chrissy and Meghan’s friendship has grown since she and Prince Harry relocated to California.

Chrissy was also part of the 50 ‘jamfluencers’ – or celebrities – who received the first batch of Meghan’s strawberry jam when she ‘soft-launched’ her lifestyle company as American Riviera Orchard last year, before it was rebranded to As Ever. 

At the time, the model and her husband, All of You hitmaker John, tried the jam in a recipe on Instagram – claiming that the meal was ‘one of the best bites we’ve had all year’ and made them ‘happy’ for the entire weekend.

Chrissy also praised the former senior royal for being ‘wonderful and so kind’ by reaching out to her with a touching letter when she was going through a tough time.

The mother-of-four said on the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen After Show: ‘She’s been so kind to me ever since we connected, she had written to me about baby Jack and loss.

‘She is really wonderful and so kind, and just as kind as everyone says she is. She’s a really wonderful girl.’

Both Meghan and Chrissy suffered tragic personal losses in 2020; while Meghan recently spoke of her grief after a miscarriage that year, Chrissy shared she underwent a life-saving abortion that she initially thought was a miscarriage in October.

From working as models together on Deal or No Deal to relying on each other for emotional support during tough times in their lives, it seems Meghan and Chrissy also have a shared love of food.

The latter previously told You that she had pre-ordered the Duchess’ cookbook Together, which contained recipes from women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire and was released in 2018. 

‘It’s beautifully done and you can tell how important it is to her,’ she heaped praise on the Duchess. ‘You see how she interacts with people and gets down to eye level with kids.’

Chrissy was asked what Meghan was like on Deal or No Deal by Andy Cohen, to which she responded: ‘Everyone wants a good story, and I’m like, I just remember very quiet and sweet. I got nothing…Really kind, and I don’t say that about anybody.’

At the time, she was also asked about her explosive tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

The model, who waited before watching the Oprah chat, admitted that it was ‘very eye-opening’.

Chrissy said: ‘I think when I ended up watching it, it was like, ‘Holy s***, this is big.’

‘But I also waited a long time to watch it, so I had already heard so much about it by the time that I got to it. But yeah, it is – I mean, very eye-opening. Very eye-opening.’ 

Asked whether she had any ‘extra tea’ surrounding Meghan’s interview, Chrissy insisted: ‘Extra tea? Um, no. Honestly, no.

‘She’s been very open about what she’s been open with, and I think honestly her truth has been her truth since the very beginning. So, no, I didn’t get any extra extra.’

Meghan and Harry’s bombshell interview sent shock waves around the world as the couple laid bare the extent of their rift with the Queen and other senior royals.

Chrissy revealed that she had spoken to Meghan after the interview aired but wouldn’t disclose what she said. 

Meghan and Jessica, meanwhile, first connected on the sets of Suits in Toronto and were as thick as thieves before the controversy led to a fallout that has meant the pair haven’t been seen together in five years. 

Despite their close relationship, insiders claimed that the Duchess had permanently cut ties with Jessica in 2020, after she became embroiled in a ‘feud’ with lifestyle blogger Sasha. 

The clash, which occurred in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd, saw Jessica ‘take offence’ to a ‘generic call to action’ post Sasha had shared about the movement before threatening to sue her. 

According to Sasha, she and Jessica then argued about the importance of ‘speaking up’.

Sasha said she felt Jessica ‘threatened’ her during the argument, claiming the mother-of-three had written to her: ‘I have also spoken to companies and people about the way you have treated me unfairly. You think your voice matters. Well it only matters if you express it with kindness and without shaming people who are simply trying to learn. Good luck.’

In a follow-up video, Sasha, also from Toronto, said: ‘What happened next was a series of very problematic behaviour and antics.

‘I’m by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this: She is very well aware of her wealth, perceived power and privilege because of the colour of her skin and that, my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing. 

‘Textbook white privilege really, in my personal opinion.’