An MSNBC guest is getting heat online after saying during a segment on the network that “many people” consider Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle to be “five clicks up from trailer trash.”
According to BuzzFeed News, the moment came during journalist Victoria Mather’s appearance on “MSNBC Live” on Saturday morning.
She had been sharing her position on Markle and Prince Harry’s recent visit to England, months after the two announced they would be stepping back from some of their duties as members of the royal family.
“I think what has really, really upset the British public is that Meghan Markle, who many people consider as only, you know, five clicks up from trailer trash, has actually tried to disrespect the queen,” she said at one point during the appearance.
“And the queen is the most respected person, most respected woman in the world,” she continued.
The remarks prompted viral backslash on social media from a number of users, including some who felt Mather’s remarks served as evidence the couple made the right choice in stepping down from their roles in the family and others who called on her to be fired.
According to BuzzFeed News, Mather identifies herself as a travel editor for Vanity Fair in her Twitter bio, but she actually works at a digital news site called Air Mail, which was founded by Graydon Carter, who previously served as chief editor at Vanity Fair.
She was reportedly misidentified as a Vanity Fair “royals watcher” during her appearance on MSNBC as well.
Her critical marks targeting Markle come several months after Harry blamed the media for the couple’s decision to step back from their prominent roles within the royal family.
In his remarks at the time, Harry had described the media as “powerful force,” adding, “My hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful, because this is so much bigger than just us.”