“Don’t you feel ripped off?” That was basically the question posed to Pamela Anderson by Andy Cohen about whether Meghan Markle ripped off her cooking show.
Anderson had her answer ready to go.
With Love, Meghan airs on Netflix, while Pamela’s Cooking With Love is on Amazon’s Prime Video; both are less than a year old.
The two shows are very similar, and netizens have been wondering if Anderson felt slighted because her show hit the airwaves first.
Highlights
- Pam Anderson finally addresses rumors that Meghan Markle’s cooking show is a rip-off of her own.
- Anderson made the comments during an interview with Andy Cohen on his show Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
- Anderson’s laid-back answer has earned her even more respect from netizens.
Pamela Anderson is asked a pointed question about whether Meghan Markle copied her
Image credits: Norman Wong / Wikipedia
Image credits: meghan / Instagram
On the August 3rd episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the titular host was interviewing Anderson, who is doing a press tour to promote her new film, The N*ked Gun.
Sitting next to her co-star in the film and real-life boyfriend, Liam Neeson, Cohen asked the 58-year-old Anderson a very pointed question about her program.
"On a scale from one to ten, how much of a rip off did you feel like With Love, Meghan was of your show, 'Pamela’s Cooking With Love?' There were articles saying these two shows were very similar," Cohen asked Anderson during a round of the segment, "Plead the Fifth."
Anderson appeared surprised by the question, but answered it at lightning speed.
“I didn’t invent cooking shows”: Pamela Anderson opens up about whether Markle copied her
Image credits: imdb
"One. I didn't," Anderson replied, without missing a beat.
Image credits: Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen / YouTube
Shaking her head, Anderson said, "No, I didn't really look, but I didn't invent cooking shows," and added with a laugh, "She's just doing her thing."
Pamela’s Cooking With Love premiered on February 24, 2025, showcasing Anderson hosting plant‑based dinner parties on Vancouver Island with guest chefs.
Markle’s series, meanwhile, debuted shortly after on Netflix on March 4, 2025, and was greenlit for a second season just days later.
Pamela Anderson and Meghan Markle’s cooking shows are very similar
Image credits: Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen / YouTube
At the time, fans and commentators were quick to point out both shows’ overlapping aesthetics—garden‑to‑kitchen visuals, wicker baskets of fresh produce, and mid‑conversation culinary moments featuring celebrity guests.
A particularly pointed comparison: both opening lines echo one another.
Anderson says, “I just have always wanted to take things to another level,” while Markle remarks she’s “always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it.”
Image credits: imdb
Some critics accused the Netflix show of being a near “frame‑for‑frame” remake.
Royal watcher Neil Sean even suggested that the production of Markle’s show was so similar to Anderson’s that it looked intentional.
But who was actually first to talk about or promote their show?
Pamela Anderson’s show was promoted first, and aired before Markle’s
Image credits: primevideo
Anderson was.
Though the release window was tight, Anderson’s show was announced first, filmed in summer 2023, and had its trailer out by October 2024.
Markle’s show, meanwhile, appeared months later in February of 2025.
Amid rising comparisons between the two programs, Jesse Fawcett—co-creator and executive producer of Anderson’s series—spoke to The Daily Beast on March 7, 2025, about the controversy.
Image credits: primevideo
“We take pride in planting the first seeds—creating original, distinctive programming that audiences love—and it’s a compliment to see our work with Ms. Anderson resonate so strongly,” Fawcett told the publication.
The original cooking and lifestyle guru, Martha Stewart, weighed in as well.
Expressing neutral encouragement, she said in an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle that she hopes Markle is authentic and knowledgeable in her domain.
Image credits: pamelaanderson / Instagram
"Meghan, I don't really know very well, and I hope she knows what she's talking about," Martha said.
"Authenticity, to me, is everything, and to be authentic and knowledgeable about your subject matter is extremely important," she continued.
Stewart did not comment on Anderson’s show.
Netizens in camp Pamela Anderson say the comparisons are blatant
Image credits: aseverofficial / Instagram
As is so often the case, the truth is a mere side dish for thirsty netizens.
“I was shocked at how much she’d ripped off Pamela’s show,” one person noted. “ Meeting the people, gardening, greenery, and white aesthetic… Markle doesn’t have one original idea,” the person said.
Others in camp, Meghan, defend the overlap, saying it's inevitable in the cooking show genre, where every program seems to have some combination of gardens, kitchens, and guests.
Image credits: pamelaanderson / Instagram
As for Anderson’s reply to Cohen’s question, netizens heaped on praise.
“What a classy lady and perfect response, I didn’t invent cooking shows!! I like her more each day!” One person wrote about Anderson.
Another noted, “Happy people act right. Pamela is happy.”
So far, Pamela Anderson’s cooking show is outperforming Markle’s
When it comes to which show is doing better, Anderson again takes the cake.
According to IMDb scores and viewing data, Anderson’s Pamela’s Cooking With Love earned an IMDb rating of 9.8/10, while Markle’s With Love, Meghan sits around 2.7–3.2/10.
The Daily Beast reports that Markle’s Netflix series failed to break into the platform’s top 300 titles, even as its eight‑episode season garnered minimal viewership compared to expectations.
Despite its poor reception, Netflix rolled out a second season, which wrapped filming early and is scheduled for release this fall. Though Markle and Harry’s overall $100 million deal with the streamer reportedly will not be renewed beyond September, People have reported.
Netizens appear more supportive of Pamela Anderson’s show than of Meghan Markle’s
