Howie Mandel Reveals How Meghan Markle Was On The Set Of Deal Or No Deal
Long before she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle served as a briefcase model on the hit gameshow, "Deal or No Deal." Meghan's stint on the show was relatively short-lived, but beginning in 2006, she appeared in 34 episodes, according to her IMDb page. "I remember her being very focused on her acting career and her role as a briefcase beauty, as we were called, was just a stepping stone in her career," fellow briefcase model Lisa Gleave told Harper's Bazaar in 2020.
Back in 2013, Meghan explained her time on "Deal or No Deal" in an interview with Esquire. "I would put that in the category of things I was doing while I was auditioning to try to make ends meet," she said, adding, "I went from working in the U.S. Embassy in Argentina to ending up on 'Deal.' It's run the gamut. Definitely working on 'Deal or No Deal' was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing. So if that's a way for me to gloss over that subject, then I will happily shift gears into something else," she said. For the record, Meghan never actually had the winning briefcase.
Although that was many moons ago, there always seems to be chatter about Meghan's time on the show. Keep reading to find out what host Howie Mandel once said about the Duchess of Sussex.
Howie Mandel used Meghan Markle as an example of a Deal or No Deal success story
During a press appearance for the "Deal or No Deal" reboot back in 2018, executive producer Scott St. John and comedian Howie Mandel were asked about Meghan Markle's time on the show — and what she was like way back in 2006. "She was not involved in many episodes, but I did remember her. She was a very nice person," St. John said, according to Fox News. "I can't say that I saw anything –- I actually think all the women on our show are special," he added.
Mandel chimed in, joking that he remembers Meghan being "slightly duchessy," according to Fox News. Mandel went on to suggest that Meghan was a prime example of the women that have success post-show. "Not everybody will have the opportunity to meet royalty, but these are all accomplished people that have something substantial – they're not just standing there holding a case," he said," adding, "they have careers, they have hobbies, they have families, they're entrepreneurial – they're all people. So, when somebody like Harry meets somebody who just happened to be on our show, there's a lot to offer."