'It never happened': 'Deal or No Deal' alum Claudia Jordan slams Meghan Markle's 'reduced to bimbo' claims
FAIRFAX, LOS ANGELES: 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Claudia Jordan reacted to Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle's claims of being "reduced to a bimbo" on the 'Deal or No Deal' game show in the recent episode of her podcast, 'Archetypes.'
Claudia has been a co-star of Meghan and stood among the 26 girls on the NBC game show for the second season for 34 episodes between 2006 and 2007. On Tuesday, October 18, Claudia came up with a slew of stories denying all of Meghan's claims about the show, reported DailyMail. Claudia said, "Deal or No Deal NEVER treated us like bimbos. We got so many opportunities because of that show."
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As Meghan was in a conversation with Paris Hilton on her podcast, she said, "I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. That's how it felt for me at the time, being reduced to this specific archetype, the word bimbo." The former actress also said, "There were different stations for having your lashes, put on, or your extensions, put in, or the padding in your bra. We were even given spray-tan vouchers each week because there was a very cookie-cutter idea of precisely what we should look like."
However, Claudia slammed all of her claims on her Instagram stories, stating, "For clarity — yes getting a MODELING GIG on a game show isn’t necessarily about your intellect BUT every show the executive producers picked 5 models with the most outgoing and fun personalities to place mics on who they KNEW would engage with the contestants.”
Further, she added, “Deal or No Deal NEVER treated us like bimbos. We got so many opportunities because of that show, Fremantle and @nbc." Claudia further explained, "That’s the kind of opportunity that IS what you make it. If you just show up and don’t engage — then you’ll check and not get much out of it — but if you show up and seize your moments … Then there’s no limits to what you can do with the opportunity.”
Claudia further revealed that she loved being on the show and said, "Then there is no limits to what you can do with the opportunity." She added, “I actually enjoyed my experience working on Deal or No Deal…” The 'Out Loud with Claudia Jordan' talk show host also explained, "It was a step on the ladder that I have been ascending on for 25 years that paid all my bill and that put forward 13 million+ people/night that led me to getting."
Claudia also stated, "On Celebrity Apprentice, Celebrity apprentice All stars, Breast cancer awareness campaign, guest hosting Extra, getting into People Magazine’s 100 most Beautiful issue and SO MUCH more.” The actress also said, "Oh I almost forgot … it ALSO led to me Co-HOSTING the 2009 Miss Universe pageant with @billybush in front of half a BILLION people. Not too shabby for a ‘bimbo’!” However, she made sure to point out that this is not an attack on Meghan. She concluded by saying, “This isn’t a [sic] attack on Meghan cause Lord knows I’ve been defending this woman in the media for years and I still WILL but I just didn’t want any misunderstanding about the climate and environment on the Deal or No Deal set. And I’m especially protective of @howiemandel who was nothing but kind and respectful to ALL 26 of us,” reports New York Post.
Meghan who spoke to Paris on her show specifically stated, "There was a very cookie-cutter idea of precisely what we should look like. It was solely about beauty — and not necessarily about brains." Further, she claimed, "When I look back at that time, I'll never forget this one detail — because moments before we'd get on stage, there was a woman who ran the show and she'd be there backstage, and I can still hear her. She couldn't properly pronounce my last name at the time and I knew who she was talking to because she'd go, 'Markle, suck it in! Markle, suck it in!'"
Duchess of Sussex added, "I was thankful for the job, but not for how it made me feel, which was not smart. And by the way, I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn't the focus of why we were there. I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage," reports People.
She then added, "There were times when I was on set at Deal or No Deal and thinking back to my time working as an intern at the US Embassy in Argentina, Buenos Aires, and being in the motorcade with the secretary of the treasury at the time and being valued specifically for my brains. 'Here, I was being valued for something quite the opposite. I mean, you have to imagine, just to paint the picture for you, that before the tapings of the show, all the girls, we would line up".
She also took a moment to describe her daughter Lillibet, "I want our daughter to aspire to be slightly higher," she stated. "Yeah, I want my Lili to want to be educated and want to be smart and to pride herself on those things."
