Ari Emanuel Makes Blunt Comment on Meghan Markle’s Career After Their Split

LOS ANGELES, September 30, 2026

Ari Emanuel has offered a notably blunt response when asked about Meghan Markle’s career, saying he no longer has to think about her professional future after the two parted ways. The remark has drawn fresh attention because, despite Emanuel’s exit from Markle’s account, WME says the agency itself continues to represent Meghan and her production company, Archewell.

Key Points

• Ari Emanuel said he no longer has to think about Meghan Markle’s career after their professional relationship ended.
• WME says it still represents Meghan and Archewell, despite Emanuel’s departure from her account.
• Emanuel and agent Brad Slater reportedly left Markle’s account within months of her 2023 signing with WME.
• Meghan continues to explore entertainment and business opportunities, including reported discussions surrounding The Gentlemen.

Emanuel, the executive chairman of WME Group, made the comment in an interview with The Times while discussing his career and new memoir. Asked where he believed Markle’s career was heading, he replied: “Here’s the great thing: I don’t have to think about that anymore.”

The comment comes after a complicated history between Markle and WME. Meghan signed with the agency in April 2023, with WME initially announcing that it would help build her business ventures, including film and television production and brand partnerships. Archewell Productions was also included in the representation.

Emanuel’s own involvement, however, appears to have been relatively brief. Variety reported in March 2026 that Emanuel and fellow agent Brad Slater had dropped off Markle’s account within months of her signing, while WME continued representing Meghan and Archewell Productions.

That distinction matters because reports in February 2025 claimed WME had dropped Markle altogether. At the time, the agency denied that it had ended its relationship with her, saying it continued to represent Meghan and Archewell. More recent reporting again confirms that WME maintains that position.

PEOPLE reported on September 30 that WME again confirmed the agency still represents Meghan and Archewell, while declining to explain further what Emanuel’s remarks meant or the circumstances surrounding the end of his direct work with Markle.

The development therefore does not establish that Meghan has been abandoned by WME. Instead, it points to a separation between Markle and one of the agency’s most prominent executives, while the broader agency relationship remains in place.

The timing is also notable as Markle continues to explore entertainment opportunities. PEOPLE reported last month that she was in talks for a possible role in the third season of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen, although that casting development has not been presented as a confirmed role.

For now, Emanuel’s unusually terse answer adds another chapter to Markle’s evolving Hollywood career, but it does not by itself establish what comes next for her professionally.