Actress Brooke Shields publicly criticized Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, for an anecdote she shared at a South by Southwest Festival panel last year, calling it "too precious." Shields interrupted Markle's story about advocating for gender equality at age 11, contrasting it with her own experience of playing a child prostitute at the same age, to lighten the mood and re-engage the audience.
Brooke Shields calls out Meghan Markle's gender equality story as 'too precious'
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Actress Brooke Shields publicly criticized Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, for an anecdote she shared at a South by Southwest Festival panel last year, calling it "too precious." Shields interrupted Markle's story about advocating for gender equality at age 11, contrasting it with her own experience of playing a child prostitute at the same age, to lighten the mood and re-engage the audience.
Trending- 1 When Shields was 10: Posed naked for Playboy publication Sugar’n’Spice.
- 2 1978: Shields played a child prostitute in the film "Pretty Baby."
- 3 2017: Meghan Markle shared her childhood gender equality story with Vanity Fair.
- 4 Last year (prior to June 3, 2025): Meghan Markle and Brooke Shields participated in a panel at the South by Southwest Festival.
- 5 Recently (prior to June 3, 2025): Brooke Shields discussed the incident on India Hicks's podcast.
- Public criticism of Meghan Markle's anecdote
- A viral moment from the panel
- Discussion about child stardom and sexualization in Hollywood
What: Brooke Shields interrupted Meghan Markle during a South by Southwest Festival panel, calling Markle's childhood anecdote about advocating for gender equality "too precious" and contrasting it with her own experience as a child actress.
When: Recently (Shields' podcast appearance); last year (South by Southwest Festival panel); 2017 (Markle shared story with Vanity Fair); 1978 (Shields' film "Pretty Baby"); when Shields was 10 (Playboy photoshoot).
Where: South by Southwest Festival, Hollywood.
Why: Shields felt Markle's story was overly serious and not engaging the audience, prompting her to interject with a more impactful and humorous anecdote to shift the tone of the panel.
How: Shields directly interrupted Markle during the panel discussion and shared a contrasting personal story to provide "context" and elicit a different audience reaction.