Gwyneth Paltrow Shuts Down Meghan Markle Feud Rumors with Surprise Cameo — But Is It All for Show?

When Gwyneth Paltrow posted a video she filmed in her airy Montecito, Calif., kitchen that showed her cooking a breakfast of bacon and eggs and gluten-free biscuits, glam-free and in her PJs, fans were quick to assume she was throwing shade at Meghan Markle and her lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan. The Duchess of Sussex has drawn criticism for everything from preparing meals in luxe outfits and $7,000 bracelets to using a rental home in place of her own. “Love this,” posted one Gwyneth follower about the March 22 Instagram video. “No fake house, fake kitchen, fake hair extensions, fake friends, just your beautiful true self. Such a breath of fresh air.” Snarked another commenter: “This is what authenticity looks like.”

Instagram/@ gwynethpaltrow

Three days later, Gwyneth attempted to refute reports of bad blood between the two by sharing another video in which she responds to a fan’s question asking how she’s “comprehending” talk of a beef. “I genuinely do not understand this at all whatsoever,” she says before asking, “Do you?” She then turns the camera to Meghan, who shrugs while sitting in Gwyneth’s kitchen eating what appears to be a pie.

Instagram/@ gwynethpaltrow

The cheeky exchange was meant to send a message, but many are now questioning the Goop founder’s true intentions — and whether her alignment with Meghan, 43, is genuine or if she was protecting her pro-woman reputation after being suspected of subtly dissing Meghan. “It’s a very clever move,” says a source, adding that behind the scenes, the Iron Man star, 52, isn’t Meghan’s hugest fan. “In reality, Gwyneth thinks Meghan is pretending to be someone she’s not. But she obviously sees some personal gain from playing nice.”

KEEPING SOME DISTANCE

It’s not the first time Gwyneth has downplayed rumblings of competition between her and Meghan. In March, she insisted to Vanity Fair magazine that she’s not threatened by Meghan’s entry into the lifestyle space, saying, “I think there’s always more than enough to go around. Everybody deserves an attempt at everything that they want to try.” (In her 2022 book Palace Papers, journalist Tina Brown wrote that Meghan “consciously” fashioned her former blog, The Tig, after Goop, and revealed the Suits alum was “always talking about” Gwyneth’s successful wellness brand.)

Instagram/@ gwynethpaltrow

Despite the positive public statements she’s given to the media, Gwyneth hasn’t made much of an effort to befriend Meghan in real life. (The former actress and her husband, Prince Harry, 40, moved into their $14 million Montecito estate in 2020; it’s located just a few miles from the mansion Gwyneth shares with her producer husband, Brad Falchuk, 54.) “I don’t know Meghan and Harry,” Gwyneth told Vanity Fair, adding, “I mean, I’ve met Meghan, who seems really lovely, but I don’t know her at all.”

Netflix

The two women seem to have different takes on the true nature of their relationship. “Meghan and Harry have had dinner with Gwyneth and Brad, so for Gwyneth to claim she ‘doesn’t know’ Meghan is bizarre and didn’t go unnoticed,” says the source. “It’s obvious Gwyneth wants to distance herself from Meghan, but at the same time, she wants to come across looking like she’s not threatened by her.” Meghan, meanwhile, “is so desperate to have A-list friends that she’ll lower her standards and make a joke out of it with Gwyneth,” adds the source.

LEFT OUT

The drama has amplified Meghan’s fears that she and Harry don’t fully fit in in Montecito. They’ve had trouble connecting with famous neighbors like Cameron Diaz and Eva Mendes, and things have only gotten worse since pals Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi decamped to the U.K. in late 2024. “Meghan does have some friends in the area, but Montecito is an incredibly cliquey town,” says the source. “Meghan expected to be flooded with invites to dinner parties with all the A-list power players in the area, but that just hasn’t happened.”