Sharon Osbourne Has Tongue-in-Cheek Response After Meghan Markle’s Netflix Show Is Canceled

Sharon Osbourne has a few words for Meghan Markle after it was announced over the weekend that the Duchess of Sussex’s animated series Pearl was dropped by Netflix. Addressing the cancellation on her new British chat show The Talk, Osbourne, who was previously swept up in controversy following her comments about Markle, offered little consolation, instead quipping, “Welcome to the industry.”

In a message to the British royal, the former reality star, who was notably let go from CBS talk show The Talk amid her Markle-centered controversy, said, “Well, I am like, ‘Welcome to the industry. Welcome, it happens so many times, to so many people.’” Osbourne went on to admit that she wasn’t necessarily surprised by the news, as she “didn’t think the idea was great in the beginning. You’ve seen it a million times.”

Originally announced last summer, Pearl was set to follow a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration from historical figures throughout history. At the time that the project was first announced, Markle, who was set to executive produce alongside David Furnish, Carolyn Soper, Liz Garbus, and Dan Cogan, said in a statement, “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges.” Markle said the series “celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.”

“This is not an unusual thing. If a company is not doing good, the first thing they have to do is cut, cut, cut. And they’ve cut them,” Osbourne continued of the cancellation. “I don’t think that Meghan’s book for children did very well and I don’t think their podcast was doing great… So, welcome to Hollywood”.

In quietly canceling Pearl, which was only in its development stage, Netflix did not give a reason for its decision not to move forward with the series. However, the move came amid a larger set of strategic decisions Netflix is currently making around animated series. After the company’s stock dropped following a drop in subscribers, Netflix has cut several of its animated titles, Dino Daycare from Ada Twist, Scientist executive producer Chris Nee, and the South Asian-inspired adventure Boons and Curses also getting the ax last week.

While Pearl may not be moving forward, Netflix is not cutting ties with the Sussexes. In July 2020, Markle and husband Prince Harry signed a multi-year deal with Netflix. As part of the deal, the couple’s production company, Archwell Productions, is set to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming exclusively for the streaming giant. Among those series is the upcoming documentary series Heart of Invictus.