Former ESPN Host Reveals How Meghan Markle Shut Down His DM Before She Became Royalty
Former ESPN host Ryen Russillo recently shared a story about being turned down by Meghan Markle long before she became the Duchess of Sussex. During an appearance on 'The Bill Simmons Podcast,' Russillo described their brief interaction at a celebrity flag football game in February 2014.
Russillo, 49, recounted that the event featured several prominent Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, leaving Markle relatively unnoticed. "It was all of the [Sports Illustrated] swimsuit models. So, nobody was really paying any attention to Markle," he explained.
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Believing he had a chance to approach her, Russillo added, "I was like, 'That's my lane. She's probably doubting herself a little bit right now. She's never been more obtainable.'" However, he didn't act on his thoughts at the time.
Later, Russillo said he reached out to Markle professionally through direct messages, inviting her to appear on his sports show, 'The Ryan Russillo Show,' to promote the fourth season of Suits. "It was a very soft sell," he said of his message. "It was, 'Hey, I know the new season ... is coming out if you ever want to come on the show to promote it.' It was really professional."
Despite his polite approach, Russillo admitted there was an ulterior motive behind the invitation. However, Markle's response was far from encouraging. "It was ice cold," he revealed, quoting her reply: "'Oh, I don't know anything about sports, but thanks for the offer.'"
At the time, Markle was best known for her role as Rachel Zane on Suits, where she starred in from 2011 until 2018. She left the show shortly before marrying Prince Harry in a royal wedding at St. George's Chapel in May 2018.
The couple later stepped back from their royal duties in early 2020 and moved to California, where they now reside in a $14 million Montecito estate with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Markle, 43, and Harry, 40, remain distanced from the royal family and were reportedly not invited to this year's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.
