Meghan Markle Addresses That "Straight Outta Compton" Story

When Prince Harry first started dating Meghan Markle, the Daily Mail published a story that said "Harry’s new girl is (almost) straight outta Compton." The subhead read "Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed - so will he be dropping by for tea?" This headline, and story, was widely criticized for its racism, and Prince Harry has spoken out about the racist coverage Meghan faced at the start of their relationship.

"My biggest regret is not making more of a stance earlier on in my relationship with my wife and calling out the racism when I did," he said in The Me You Can't See. "History was repeating itself. My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone that wasn’t white."

Meghan’s new podcast Archetypes dropped yesterday.

Yet, Meghan herself has never really addressed the tabloid coverage she faced—until now, in a cheeky manner with her friend Serena Williams on her new podcast Archetypes.

As they chat about how they were both the same age growing up in Los Angeles, Meghan tells Serena, "Although, this morning I was saying to Harry, I said, Do you remember, one of those?" ("Those" referring to the tabloid coverage.)

Serena then jokes, "I'm the one for the record that grew up in Compton!" To which Meghan replies, "And I was about to say when they said, Harry's girl is straight outta Compton, I was like, are they talking about Serena?"

Serena and her older sister Venus playing tennis in Compton, 1991.

Here's the rest of the exchange:

MEGHAN: And I was about to say when they said, Harry's girl is straight outta Compton,I was like, are they talking about Serena?SERENA: You know, cause that's my guy. You know.MEGHAN: You love a redhead. And I'm like, I'm not from Compton. I've never lived inCompton. My mom doesn't live in Compton. But by the way, what's wrong withCompton My girl Serena’s from there!SERENA: Yeah, I was like wait a minute. And I'm so proud to be from Compton, I have to say. Like Dr. Dre is from Compton, you know. What's his name? The actor Kevin. Kevin Cont. Uh, no…No! Um, oh, my goodness. I'm blanking.MEGHAN: I don't think Kevin Costner was from Compton.SERENA: Kevin Costner is from Compton!MEGHAN: No, he's not.SERENA: He is. Yes, he is. Google it! [laughter]MEGHAN: Oh my gosh, that’s wild!SERENA: He even talks about it! Isn’t it fascinating? I’m like yasss! It’s pretty cool. You unfortunately can’t have that.MEGHAN: I can’t claim Compton. But I love that...

In this, they subtly dismiss the Daily Mail for painting being from Compton as a bad thing. As Serena says, "I'm so proud to be from Compton." And white actors—like Yellowstone's Kevin Costner—being from Compton is something that shouldn't be surprising.

Meghan's stated goal of her podcast is to "dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back." Future episodes will feature Mariah Carey, Robin Thede, Margaret Cho, Allison Yarrow, Amanda Seales, Mindy Kaling, and Ziwe Fumudoh.