Meghan Markle's reaction to being compared to iconic Simpsons character as a child
The Duchess of Sussex was teased after a bad haircut
In a 2021 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Meghan Markle opened up about a childhood memory that still lingers: being teased for her hair and compared to The Simpsons character Krusty the Clown.
During the interview, Ellen pulled up a self-portrait Meghan had drawn for a school assignment titled A Face Without Freckles is a Night Without Stars.
The illustration depicted the young duchess with voluminous curly hair. When asked about it, Meghan revealed the unexpected inspiration.
Meghan Markle opens up about being compared to Simpsons character
“I was obsessed with Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral,” Meghan said.
She recalled asking for a haircut to replicate the actress’ soft curls: “All I wanted was a perfect little curly haircut, so I went to the hairdresser and got it.”
They said I looked like Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons. It was a real bummer.
But reality didn’t match the movie magic. While she initially felt thrilled, “On that first day, I was like, ‘This is amazing, I look like Andie MacDowell'”, things quickly changed once she returned to school.
Her classmates, she recalled, had a different comparison in mind: Krusty the Clown.
Meghan said: “Everyone forgot to tell me that, ‘You have ethnic hair. You’re not going to look like Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral.'”
“They said I looked like Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons. It was a real bummer,” she joked, laughing off the memory. “But I had a whole vibe happening.”
The moment came during a wider conversation about her children’s book The Bench, which Meghan wrote as a Father’s Day poem for Prince Harry.
She and Ellen discussed the project, parenting, and her earlier foray into writing with her childhood book about freckles.
Throughout the interview, Meghan spoke candidly about her upbringing in Los Angeles. The duchess was raised by her parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland. She attended private schools before enrolling at Northwestern University.
Meghan Markle’s hair
The Duchess of Sussex has long garnered attention for her signature glossy locks. While she has naturally textured, curly hair due to her mixed-race heritage, she has typically worn her hair straight throughout much of her adult life.
But earlier this year, Meghan revealed that her relationship with her natural hair was shaped by early advice she received during her acting career, including suggestions to wear wigs.
Speaking candidly on a bonus episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan sat down with Tina Knowles, matriarch of the Knowles family and mother of singer Beyoncé, to discuss the beauty pressures faced by women in the public eye.
Reflecting on her time in Hollywood, Meghan shared: “I remember so many other actresses, especially if you’re in that grind, they said: ‘You are going to fry your hair.’ Everyone was recommending that I should start wearing wigs. I never ended up doing it.”
The duchess also reminisced about the hours she spent in salons as a teen, describing a formative part of her beauty routine.
She said: “Oh my gosh, I remember me with all my hair growing up. My mum [Doria Ragland] would have to drop me off at the hair salon. I would sit there for three to four hours for them to press and curl my hair. That was at the age of 13.”
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