‘Deal or No Deal’ Exec Denies Meghan Markle’s Claims About the Show Objectifying Women: ‘We Are Constantly Evolving’

usmagazine.com:

A different take. A Deal or No Deal executive hit back after Meghan Markle claimed the game show demeans women.Lucas Green — the chief content officer at Banijay, which owns the Deal or No Deal format — responded to the Duchess of Sussex’s comments in an interview with Variety published on Wednesday, May 24.

When asked whether he agreed with Meghan’s assertion that the show’s briefcase models are “objectified,” Green said that he didn’t.“No, but we are constantly evolving the format so that it isn’t the same show it was 15-plus years ago,” Green told the outlet. “A lot of work goes into modernizing our formats to ensure they represent our values as a company and wider society.

The U.K. version, for example, will continue to use members of the public from all walks of life to open the boxes [instead of models].”In order to view the video, please allow Manage CookiesThe former actress, 41, made headlines in October 2022 when she said she felt like a “bimbo” during her tenure on the game show, which lasted from 2006 to 2007. “When I look back at that time, I’ll never forget this one detail,” the Suits alum recalled during an episode of her “Archetypes” podcast. “There was a woman who ran the show and she’d be there backstage and I can still hear her … she’d go, ‘Markle, suck it in!

Markle, suck it in!’”The Bench author added that her fellow briefcase models were “smart women,” but “the focus” wasn’t on their brains. “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,” the Archewell cofounder continued. “I didn’t like being forced to be all looks and little substance, and that’s how it felt for me at the time — being reduced to this specific