Harry ‘wanted to interview Putin and Trump about their childhood traumas’

Prince Harry hoped to interview Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg about their upbringing and childhood traumas on a Spotify podcast, it has emerged. Harry discussed his ideas for possible shows with multiple producers and production companies, telling them how he wanted to talk to the controversial figures about how they became the men they are today. He also reportedly wanted to speak to Pope Francis about religion — with execs scratching their heads, according to Bloomberg.

The revelations come after Harry – who ended up producing no solo podcasts – and his wife Meghan dropped out of their £15 million ($20 million) Spotify deal. The streaming giant and the Sussexes’ production company, Archewell Audio, released a joint statement last Thursday announcing that they had “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we have created together.”

It follows a week of bombshells, during which Meghan was accused of falsifying interviews and Spotify executive Bill Simmons (pictured) called the Sussexes.[Expletive] scammers.’ The Duke of Sussex, who insiders claimed earlier this month would stop doing tell-all interviews bashing the royal family because he and Meghan “have nothing left to say,” also had plans for a fatherhood-centric show. Meanwhile, he allegedly pitched an idea to discuss social issues in each episode, touching on climate change and religion. The usefulness of interviewing these guys would have raised questions among those on Harry’s podcast team.

The Sussexes’ three-year deal with Spotify instead ended without any of the Duke’s ideas coming to fruition. Meghan, who is more unpopular than ever according to new polls, had her Archetypes podcast scrapped as the streaming giant begins to revamp its output. Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a £15 million ($20 million) deal with Spotify for the project in late 2020, but insiders close to the audio giant claim the royal couple failed to meet the productivity benchmark required to receive the full payout , reported The Wall Street Journal. . The move to cancel Meghan’s show, which explores the “labels that try to stop women,” follows discussions months ago about renewing for a second series.

However, the determined Duchess still plans to create more podcasts and find a new home for her series, which previously featured her friend and tennis star Serena Williams, pop sensation Mariah Carey and South African comedian Trevor Noah. In the days following the bombshell announcement, Simmons, head of podcast innovation and monetization at Spotify, condemned the pair in an episode of his own podcast last Friday. ‘The [Expletive] scammers. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” he said. “I have to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.’

Simmons, a sports writer, founded the sports and pop culture website and podcast network The Ringer and sold it to Spotify for $200 million in 2020. He then joined the streaming giant and has long been critical of the pair, including when he shot Harry last January, claiming it was “embarrassing” to be affiliated with the same company. “Shoot this man at the sun,” he said, according to sports website The Big Lead. “I am so tired of this man. What does he bring to the table? He just whines [Expletive] and continues to give interviews. ‘Who gives a [Expletive]? Who cares about your life? “You weren’t even the favorite son. You live in [Expletive] Montecito and you’re just selling documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about it.”

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