Questioning the timing of Meghan Markle's product advert?

[OpalAmber]

We’ve literally just lost Dolly Parton - an actual icon, a legend, and a woman who did more for children's literacy and charity than most governments.

And what does Meghan Markle do exactly FOUR HOURS after the news breaks? She drops an ad for her new "spiced apple butter." under her As Ever brand

AIBU to think there is zero chance this was an accident? She just couldn't stand the global news cycle not being about her for five minutes. Any normal, decent PR team would immediately pull a condiment launch out of respect. Instead, she deliberately pushed it through to piggyback on the trending algorithms and steal the limelight.

It is absolutely vile. Dolly was a total class act, and Meghan is literally trying to sell overpriced jam over her grave. I am just so sickened by the sheer, unadulterated narcissism of it. Tell me I'm not the only one seeing exactly what she's doing here?

This is quite funny.

No, the world doesn't stop because a celebrity dies - companies keep on operating. Also, I never would've heard about this apple butter without you posting it.

Much like @VieuxFort I found the pulling of the condiment launch comment particularly amusing. Fair play to you OP that was inspired.

I actually think it's quite sad that a grown woman with two children is reduced to flogging over hyped jam rather than holding a proper occupation. Neither of them have jobs.

I can't stand MM but come on,that's a bit much blaming her for her timing 😕

I actually think OP is actually a PR person and is playing a blinding reverse on everyone. I think she is deliberately playing the part she is, so that people, even those who are not fans of MM are going to look and possibly buy the product...

Bravo @OpalAmber, MM should give you a pay rise!

Doubtful can’t imagine anyone would pay for someone to put all this effort into attracting a few hundred mumsnetters

You’re saying that the moment she heard the news, Meghan gave an evil laugh and pressed the send button on her insta post?

Even if that was true (it’s not), do you think Dolly would care?

Dolly, the woman of exceptional compassion, who often said ‘if there’s something to be judged, that’s God’s business’? Try to learn something from this, OP. Be more Dolly.

OP, I hope you’ve written a stern letter in green ink to Nestle, Mondelez, Unilever et al to reproach them for running their planned advertising all over tv and social media, too. An 80 year old woman with cancer who none of us knew died, and so all devices should have been draped in black velvet and ceremonially turned off for an unspecified period of international mourning.

Your response is entirely proportionate and not at all a sign of some mental unwellness.

It’s nice work if you can get it! Lots of creators out there-are you sad for all of them?

This is actually true. I hadn't heard anything about MM's product before, now I'm thinking "Hmm, spiced apple butter, I might give that a try."

I couldn’t especially give a fuck about Harry and/or Meghan but I read something early last week about the Apple Jam thing being released this week, so unless she’s psychic or had Dolly Parton offed to suit her narrative, YABU.

Wonder if the OP has a headache this morning
i I mean no one could post something this unhinged without being pissed or off their tits on something
Either that or they've played a wind em up and watch em go par excellence
amazing how these threads get posted late at night isn't it

Have you not heard of the well-known practice of burying bad news on the day the headlines are dominated by big news stories? If anything I suspect that MM and her marketing people are cursing that Dolly took all the attention away from their big product launch.

This is honestly so weird. OP, I think you need to spend some time offline and outside of whatever Meghan-obsessive echo chamber you've got yourself caught up in.

Bless you for committing to the bit OP. I vote this for classics 😂

Oh my, there are actually people that give a shit about stuff like this? And genuinely work themselves up into a frenzy over it?

OP, maybe take some deep breaths and try to relax. This is a completely bizarre thing to get so angry about.

Yes. I think it's a pointless and vapid method of existing.

OP - have you considered that Dolly scheduled her own demise just to overshadow MM's release of her product?

Disclaimer - I don't "actually" believe this, but it is no more or less batshit than what you have written.

Meghan missed a trick and should have released some curry pastes exactly four hours after the death of Tim Curry.

just when you thought the hate couldn't get any worse......we have this.

OP i can't believe you were listening to Dolly Parton for the last 4 years when there is a war in Ukraine!! Unbelievably insensitive.

You are mental.

Do you have ANYTHING else to do with your time?

Actually, I think I've unlocked the OP's confusion.
The lovely Dolly recorded a song called 'Apple Jack' many years ago.
I think she misheard it as apple jam perhaps and has thought MM has cashed in on this is some heinous, cynical fashion?😉

I think Lidl dropped their Greek week too - the beestards !!!

Apple launched two new major products on the 25th August.

Garmin launched one.

M&S launched a retro chocolate bar “Coconut Grove” on the 25th August.

Starbucks launched its new US Autumn menu

Anthropologie and Barbour launched a new collaboration.

Fenwick launched its 2026 Beauty Advent calendar on the same day.

All in all quite a busy day for product launches.

I didn’t hear about any of them (not even the Apple ones) but I did hear about Ms Parton’s passing.

Is the point of this very strange thread to advertise for the As Ever brand?