Inside Meghan Markle's connection to Gwyneth Paltrow

2023-05-16

Getting some Goop tips? As Meghan Markle dines out with actress-turned-lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow amid rumors she’s set to relaunch her OWN website The Tig, FEMAIL lifts the lid on close connections between the two women – and their rival blogs

Meghan, 41, and Gwyneth, 50, were seen getting dinner on Friday
The outing comes amid rumors that Meghan is bringing back her lifestyle brand
Rumors have swirled that The Tig will rival Gwyneth’s multi-million dollar Goop

Rumors that Meghan Markle is set to revive her lifestyle blog The Tig have been swirling for months now – sparking speculation that the former actress is gunning for Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness crown.

But far from wanting to compete with the 50-year-old lifestyle guru, it seems that Meghan, 41, may actually be hoping that Gwyneth will serve more as a mentor than a rival.

While comparisons have been drawn between Meghan and Gwynnie on multiple occasions – as well as their respective websites, The Tig and Goop – there was not known to be any other connection between them. That is until Friday evening when the Sussexes reportedly joined Gwyneth and her husband Brad Falchuk for a dinner date in Beverly Hills.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, and the Iron Man star, 50, are said to have dined at Sushi Bar in Montecito on Friday evening, alongside their husbands, as well as fellow celebrity couple Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden, and Bumble founder Whitney Wolf Herd and her husband, Michael.

Meghan and Gwyneth enjoyed the night out together just weeks after the royal’s trademark request for The Tig was approved, which meant she could finally bring back her burgeoning blog, which was one of her main passion projects before she tied the knot with Harry.

Meghan Markle was seen grabbing dinner with Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow amid rumors that she’s getting ready to relaunch her popular lifestyle website The Tig

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, and the Iron Man star, 50, reportedly dined at Sushi Bar in Montecito on Friday, alongside their husbands – Prince Harry and Brad Falchuk

Meghan and Gwyneth enjoyed the night out together just weeks after the royal’s trademark request for The Tig was approved, which meant she could finally bring back the beloved blog

Since the trademark’s acceptance, speculation has swirled that Meghan’s site (left) is going to rival Gwyneth’s mega-successful multi-million dollar company Goop (right)

Since the trademark’s acceptance, speculation has swirled that Meghan’s site is going to rival Gwyneth’s mega-successful multi-million dollar company Goop.

As part of one of the most known couples in the world, the 41-year-old’s brand could certainly pose a threat to Gwyneth’s Goop empire.

But based on their recent sushi date, it seems as though Meghan may be turning to the Shakespeare in Love alum for some advice rather, than competing against her.

Meghan first launched the website – which she branded as her ‘passion project’ – in 2014, and for three years, she used it as her personal blog, where she discussed everything from food and travel to fashion and politics.

Meghan started the website while she was starring in the USA drama Suits and named it after her favorite type of wine, Tignanello.

‘It was an ah-ha moment at its finest,’ she wrote on the blog of trying the wine for the first time. ‘For me it became a “Tig” moment – a moment of getting it.’

The mother-of-two used the website to share her views on things like feminism, as well as her passion for philanthropy.

An avid foodie, she also posted recipes – as well as makeup and beauty tips, travel advice, and interviews with her celebrity friends, including tennis star Serena Williams and actress Priyanka Chopra.

As part of one of the most known couples in the world, the 41-year-old’s brand could certainly pose as a threat to Gwyneth’s Goop empire. She’s seen with Prince Harry in 2017

Royal commentator Leslie Carroll was quick to squash the idea that she would try to out-do Gwyneth, since she said the two blogs will be very different

Meghan first launched the website – which she branded as her ‘passion project’ – in 2014, and for three years, she used it as her personal blog

However, it was deactivated in April 2017, just months before she got engaged to her now-husband, Prince Harry, 38.

When closing the blog down, she reflected on how it ‘evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity.’

Meghan started the website while she was starring in the USA drama Suits and named it after her favorite type of wine, Tignanello

She also encouraged her readers not to ‘forget their worth’ and to ‘keep finding those Tig moments of discovery.’

According to royal biographers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, she decided to end The Tig due to the ‘intense media scrutiny’ she was facing amid her relationship with Harry.

‘It wasn’t so much that her blog was criticized as it was used to fuel false speculation about her personal life with the prince,’ they wrote in their book, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, per Cheat Sheet.

‘If she and Harry weren’t seen in three days, someone at a gossip blog would pull up her recipe for acai bowls and write a story that said that was what she was serving her new man.

‘Or her post about the benefits of green juice: Was this the diet she was making Harry follow?’

The mother-of-two used the website to share her views on things like feminism, as well as her passion for philanthropy. She also posted recipes, makeup and beauty tips, and travel advice

However, it was deactivated in April 2017 , just months before she got engaged to her now-husband, Prince Harry, 38

Author Tina Brown wrote in her 2020 book that Meghan became inspired to start The Tig after becoming an avid Goop reader, and that she longed for it to be as successful as the brand

In her and Harry’s Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan, she reflected on running the website – explaining that it was more than ‘just a hobby.’

Goop is well known for its risqué posts – which includes lists of her favorite sex toys and advice on how readers can improve their libido and have more fun in the bedroom

‘I’ve never really been the type of person to do only one thing, I guess that’s how my website was born,’ she said.

‘There was fashion, tons of food, and travel – all the things that I loved. The Tig wasn’t just a hobby, it became a really successful business.’

Author Tina Brown wrote in her 2020 book that Meghan became inspired to start The Tig after becoming an avid Goop reader, and that she longed for it to be as successful as Gwyneth’s brand.

But Tina said there was no comparison between the two, writing, ‘What The Tig lacked was Gwyneth’s sly positioning that she was in on the joke of monetizing eyeballs.

‘The wink-wink sensationalism of Goop’s This Smells Like My Vagina candle would never have found itself onto Meghan’s earnestly tasteful Tig.’

Goop is well known for its risqué posts – which includes lists of her favorite sex toys and advice on how readers can improve their libido and have more fun in the bedroom.

Any friendship between Meghan and Gwyneth before their outing was not known, but one of their many mutual friends may have connected the women. They are both seen with Oprah

Meghan has been slowly accumulating a whole slew of A-list pals since she and Harry relocated to the US in 2020. She’s seen with Serena Williams

After news hit the web that Meghan was bringing it back, royal commentator Leslie Carroll was quick to squash the idea that she would try to out-do Gwyneth, since she said the two blogs will be very different.

‘My intuition tells me that if Meghan were to launch a new blog, she will not choose to compete with Gwyneth at all in the Goop marketplace of pricey scented candles and questionable self-care,’ she said.

Megan Blake, a brand expert and social and content manager at Chic PR, explained to DailyMail.com that The Tig will likely be a lot less sex-forward than Goop is.

‘The ethos of The Tig is centered around Meghan’s personal experiences, with a focus on inspiring women to live their best lives,’ she explained.

Any friendship between Meghan and Gwyneth before their recent outing was not known, but it’s certainly possible that it was one of their many star-studded mutual friends that connected the two women.

Meghan has been slowly accumulating a whole slew of A-list pals since she and Harry relocated to the US in 2020.

She is also close with Oprah, Tyler Perry, Olivia Palermo, Beyoncé, and George and Amal Clooney, to name a few.

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