Meghan Markle Jokes About ‘Suits’ Reunion in Birthday Video

The video Meghan Markle shared on her 40th birthday this week to promote her new female mentorship initiative was full of Easter eggs, among them a joke about a Suits reunion. The clip opens with the Duchess of Sussex seated at a desk in her and Prince Harry‘s Montecito, California home, taking a video call on a laptop.

On the other end of the line is Melissa McCarthy, wearing a floral dress and coordinating fascinator, as well as gloves and pearls. “It’s my 40th birthday and I’ve got an idea,” Markle tells her. “I know what it is. My first guess is it’s another photoshoot where you’re under a tree looking very peaceful,” McCarthy joked, referencing Markle’s recent maternity photoshoot, which she used to announce her pregnancy with daughter Lilibet earlier this year. “Peaceful under a tree is me every day,” Markle responded.

McCarthy’s next suggestion was that the duo gets matching tattoos, a suggestion she was prepared for with an edited image of the two together that read, “Besties forever.” Markle cracked, “You know, I already have something very similar across my back.” McCarthy’s last guess was, “Are you finally going to do a Suits reunion?” Markle starred on USA’s Suits as Rachel Zane from 2011-2018, filming her last episode in 2017.

“OK, I love Suits but why would I do a Suits reunion for my birthday?” she asked McCarthy, who referenced the recent Friends reunion when she responded, “Why would the cast of Friends do a reunion for my birthday? But they did it.” Markle mused, “They did say they would only ever do it for a historical event.”

Jokes complete, Markle shared that her actual birthday plan was her 40×40 initiative. “Because I’m turning 40, I’m asking 40 friends to donate 40 minutes of their time to help mentor a woman who’s mobilizing into the workforce,” she said. “Over two million women in the U.S. alone and tens of millions around the world have lost their jobs due to COVID.” She added, “I think if we all do it and all commit 40 minutes to some act of service, we can create a ripple effect.”

Markle further detailed her plan on her and Harry’s Archewell Foundation website, sharing that she has realized that “amongst the most valuable gifts of time is also time spent in service to others knowing that it can contribute to incredible change.”

“For my birthday, I have asked 40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to help kickoff a global effort by contributing 40 minutes of mentorship to support women re-entering the workforce,” she wrote. “With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well.” A number of celebrities have supported the cause and shared that they will be participating including Hillary Clinton, Gabrielle Union, Katie Couric, Sarah Paulson, Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie and more.