The cover of one of this week’s tabloids claims Oprah is acting as a mediator to make peace between Meghan Markle and her dad Thomas Markle. Gossip Cop can exclusively debunk the story. A rep for the media mogul confirms it’s untrue.
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The Duchess of Sussex has been estranged from her father amid months of public attacks against her and the royal family, but according to Woman’s Day, Oprah is swooping in to repair their relationship. An alleged insider tells the magazine, “Oprah has got involved in helping Meghan work things out. And her magic seems to be working because Thomas has calmed down and he’s taking calls from Meghan for the first time in weeks.”
This narrative is bogus from the very start. Thomas said in an interview with the Daily Mail last month that all of the phone numbers he had for his daughter “were disconnected” and he has “no way of contacting” her. He added, “‘I’m really hurt that she’s cut me off completely.” It’s clear that Thomas hasn’t been ignoring Meghan’s (nonexistent) phone calls for weeks.
The outlet’s supposed source adds, “Oprah has closely followed all the drama and just feels so sorry for Meghan… That’s why she decided to call her dad and try to talk some sense into him.” The questionable tipster goes on to say that both the Duchess and her father are now considering meeting at Oprah’s Santa Barbara mansion “for a peace summit.”
The “insider” further contends that when Oprah reached out to Thomas, the two discovered they “have a surprising lot in common and they hit it off straight away.” The suspicious source says Meghan’s dad poured his heart out to the former talk show host, and finally admitted “he knows that speaking publicly about his daughter is making things worse.” Meanwhile, “Meghan just wants to start afresh, but she needs to know she can trust him and that he will learn to keep his mouth shut,” says the alleged tipster.
In addition to being filled with inaccuracies, the tabloid’s story is also poorly timed. On Monday, The Sun published a new interview with Thomas, who told the newspaper, “I don’t expect to see her or hear back from [Meghan] and that’s OK.” Not only has the former lighting director given yet another interview about his daughter, but he also admitted that he doesn’t see a reconciliation on the horizon. Naturally, he didn’t bring up Oprah’s name either.
Regardless, a spokesperson qualified to speak on Oprah’s behalf exclusively tells Gossip Cop there’s “no truth” to the Woman’s Day cover story. The mogul hasn’t involved herself in the drama surrounding the Duchess and her estranged father. The magazine’s report is a complete work of fiction.