Ben Mulroney, the ex-husband of Meghan Markle's former close friend Jessica Mulroney, has publicly addressed the controversy that led to the Duchess of Sussex distancing herself from the stylist. In a podcast interview, he accused Black social media influencer Sasha Exeter of being a 'racial grifter' and claimed the 2020 'white privilege' row that damaged Jessica's reputation was entirely fabricated.
Background of the Fallout
Meghan Markle and Jessica Mulroney were once inseparable, with Mulroney playing a key role in Meghan's life during her time in Toronto filming 'Suits' and after her relationship with Prince Harry began. Mulroney's children served as page boys and a bridesmaid at the 2018 royal wedding. However, the friendship soured after Jessica became embroiled in a public dispute with Sasha Exeter, a Black influencer, in June 2020, amid the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd's murder.
Exeter claimed that Mulroney took offense at a 'generic call to action' about speaking up on racial justice, and later alleged that Mulroney had threatened her. Mulroney issued multiple apologies, but the damage was done, and Meghan reportedly cut ties with her former friend.
Ben Mulroney's Accusations
Speaking on the 'No But Seriously Though' podcast, Ben Mulroney, a Canadian TV host and son of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, lashed out at Exeter. He said: 'A racial grifter decided to take advantage of the George Floyd moment and make up a complete fiction about my wife and the country decided to bend over backwards and say: “OK, well, here’s our hero and here’s our villain and everything was taken from my wife overnight.”'
He alleged that the scandal was 'made up' and that direct messages between the two women show Exeter was 'antagonising' his wife. He added: 'What the DMs show is not that this woman was abused by my wife’s white privilege, but that this woman was antagonising my wife and so my wife said, “If you are going to threaten me, I’ll threaten you.”'
Impact on Meghan Markle and Jessica Mulroney
The fallout led to Meghan distancing herself from Mulroney. The two women no longer follow each other on Instagram, and Meghan has not publicly mentioned her former friend since the controversy, except for a brief moment in the Netflix docuseries 'Harry & Meghan', where footage showed her FaceTiming someone named 'Jess' after Prince Harry's proposal in 2017. Mulroney had posted a supportive message for Meghan just two days before the Sussexes' Oprah interview in March 2021, but the friendship has not recovered.
Ben Mulroney and Jessica Mulroney separated in 2023 after 16 years of marriage, though Ben referred to Jessica as 'his wife' during the podcast, suggesting they may still be on good terms. The rift with Meghan remains unresolved, and Jessica's career in styling has suffered as a result of the scandal.
