Meghan Markle’s ‘Deal or No Deal’ Days: Everything We Know About Her Time on the Show
Before she was living the royal life married to Prince Harry and before she was an actress with a leading role as Rachel Zane on Suits, it’s true: Meghan Markle was an struggling actress, doing what she could to pay the bills. Enter her brief stint on the game show Deal or No Deal hosted by Howie Mandel. During season two of the series, which aired in 2006, Markle had a very important job: Keeping tabs on briefcase #24 and revealing the hidden sum inside it should a contestant call her number out. (“I would end up standing up there forever in these terribly uncomfortable and inexpensive five-inch heels just waiting for someone to pick my number so I could go and sit down,” she once spilled in an interview, according to Business Insider.)
Still, work is work when you’re an actress looking for your big break. But what else do we know about Meghan Markle’s Deal or No Deal days? Quite a bit, actually.
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1. Her Former Co-Worker Was Chrissy Teigen
Yep, Teigen herself has confirmed that the two crossed paths on the hit game show after Markle joined the cast in season two. Teigen was a part of the show from the pilot through the first season in a similar role to Markle—although she confirmed on The Ellen Degeneres Show that she vaguely remembers being demoted or fired for her inability to walk down the stairs gracefully. Teigen also has nothing but nice things to say about Markle: “I remember her just being very quiet and sweet. Just really kind, and I don’t say that about anybody.”
2. The Briefcase She Held (#24!) Was Recently Up for Sale
Back in December, the very briefcase that Markle carried on the series from 2006 to 2007 was auctioned off via the Hollywood: A Collector’s Ransom auction. According to the auction catalog, the suitcase was expected to bring in between $4,000 to $6,000.
3. Occasionally, Markle Was Tasked with Holding a Different Briefcase
Like in this throwback clip from the series: She’s holding #11. A different model has #24. What caused the briefcase mix-up? We may never know.
4. She Wasn’t the *Biggest* Fan of Her Time Working on the Show
In an interview with Esquire magazine that was published back in 2013, Markle was asked about her time as a “briefcase girl” on the show. Her reply? “I would put that in the category of things I was doing while I was auditioning to try to make ends meet. I went from working in the U.S. Embassy in Argentina to ending up on Deal. It’s run the gamut. Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing. So if that’s a way for me to gloss over that subject, then I will happily shift gears into something else.” Mic drop.
