Oprah's Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Interview Delivers Massive Audience for CBS Sunday Night

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey was a major ratings hit for CBS, bringing in 17.14 million viewers Sunday, according to Nielsen's fast national ratings numbers, THR reports. The tell-all special Oprah With Meghan and Harry marked the best non-sports ratings for the broadcast networks this season apart from the post-Super Bowl The Equalizer premiere and brought in a 2.6 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.

It's no surprise that the highly-anticipated interview was easily the most-watched show on TV Sunday, with the closest being its lead-in show, 60 Minutes, which brought in about 9.8 million viewers. Fast national ratings also don't include out-of-home viewerships, so the numbers will only go up for the special, which was the topic of international news since it was announced last month.

During Sunday's interview, Markle and Harry opened up about their decision to step back from their royal duties amid what they described as a toxic environment both inside and outside of the royal family. The Duchess of Sussex explained the impact on her mental health the situation had, which included suicidal ideations for which she sought help. "I was ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. But I knew that if I didn't say it — then I would do it," she shared. "I just didn't want to be alive anymore."

Markle continued she "thought it would have solved everything for everyone," reminding the public to be kind to all people. "I think so important for people to remember is you have no idea what's going on for someone behind closed doors. No idea," the former Suits star said. "Even the people that smile and shine the brightest lights. You need to have compassion for what is actually potentially going on."

The couple also shared details of Markle's second pregnancy, which they announced last month, revealing that 1-year-old son Archie would be a big brother to a little girl. Markle responded when asked by Winfrey if, looking back, she had any regrets about how the recent years have played out that she only had one. "My regret is believing [the royal family] when they said I would be protected," she said. And I regret believing that because I think had I really seen that that wasn't happening, I would have been able to do more, but I think I wasn't supposed to see it. I wasn't supposed to know and now because we're actually on the other side, we've actually not just survived but are thriving."

If you or someone you know are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.

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