Claudia Jordan, who starred alongside Meghan Markle on Deal or No Deal, is clapping back against her “bimbo” comments!
Earlier this week, the Duchess of Sussex slammed the way she was treated on the game show, which she appeared on for 34 episodes from 2006 to 2007. Chatting on a new episode of her podcast Archetypes, she claimed she was made to feel “objectified” and “not smart” because she was only evaluated on her beauty.
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The Suits alum complained about the models having to wear padding in their bras, get regular spray tans, and be told to “suck it in” by female producers before the show. She dished:
“I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance, and that’s how it felt for me at the time being reduced to this specific archetype: the word ‘bimbo.’”
Definitely unfortunate… but was the set really as bad as it sounds? Well, another model has some THOUGHTS – and she’s sticking up for the show while seemingly shading Meghan for not taking advantage of the opportunity!
In a series of Instagram Story posts on Tuesday, Claudia, who was on the show for four seasons from 2005 to 2009, said:
“For clarity – yes getting a MODELING GIG on a game show isn’t necessarily about your intellect, BUT every show the executive producers picked five models with the most outgoing and fun personalities to place mics on, who they KNEW would engage with the contestants.”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star also directly clapped back at the bimbo comments, adding:
“And Deal or No Deal NEVER treated us like bimbos. We got so many opportunities because of that show.”
The reality star went on to describe Deal or No Deal as the “kind of opportunity” that “is what you make it.” Seemingly dissing Meghan for not hustling behind the scenes to get more out of the gig, the Out Loud star continued:
“If you JUST show up and don’t engage – then you’ll just get your check and not get much out of it. But if you show up and seize your moments, there’s no limits to what you can do with the opportunity.”
Such a good point!
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To prove her point, the actress said she “enjoyed” working on the game show and saw a lot of success from it, detailing:
“It was a step on the ladder I’ve been ascending on for 25 years that paid all my bills, put me in front of 13 million people a night, and led to me getting on Celebrity Apprentice, Celebrity Apprentice All Stars, a breast cancer awareness campaign, guest hosting Extra, getting into People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful issue, and so much more.”
Impressive! Her achievements didn’t end there:
“It also led to me co-hosting the 2009 Miss Universe pageant with [Billy Bush] in front of half a billion people. Not too shabby for a ‘bimbo.’”
Hah! Not at all!
The 49-year-old went on to clarify that she wasn’t meaning to “attack” Meghan or dismiss her experience, but she felt the need to stand up for the show and its host Howie Mandel:
“This isn’t a attack on Meghan cause Lord knows I’ve been defending this woman in the media for years and I still WILL but I just didn’t want any misunderstanding about the climate and environment on the Deal or No Deal set. And I’m especially protective of @howiemandel who was nothing but kind and respectful to ALL 26 of us.”
Obviously, the women are allowed to have their own opinions since their experiences may not have been the same, but it’s sure interesting to hear Claudia’s take on the royal’s comments! It sounds like they were on completely different shows! LOLz!
It also sounds like Meghan didn’t really take her fellow models’ feelings into consideration when she made her own comments denouncing the gig. Reactions, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Game Show Network/YouTube & MEGA/WENN & Claudia Jordan/Instagram]
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