Meghan Markle’s recent attempt at humor might not have hit the mark, as many fans were left puzzled by her turkey-themed “mom joke.”

The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex embraced the holiday spirit by sharing a video of herself preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving, which falls on Thursday, November 27.

In the video, Meghan was seen applying a blend of salt, pepper, and various spices to the turkey’s skin, followed by some lemon zest.

‘It’s “game” time,’ she quipped in the caption, before asking her followers if they ‘got’ her ‘mom joke’. 

However, her lighthearted remark seemed to miss its intended audience, prompting one user on X/Twitter to request an explanation of the joke as if they were a five-year-old.

The confusion appeared to arise from the fact that turkey is not generally categorized as game meat, leading some social media users to admit they did not grasp the pun.

One user questioned, “Is turkey a game bird? I mean, she purchased it plucked and trimmed from her butcher. I wouldn’t label turkey as game; that term is usually reserved for animals like grouse that are hunted. Perhaps it’s different in the U.S., but honestly, if that was her joke, it fell as flat as that turkey.”

One person explained that while some turkey dinners ‘may be considered eating game’ if the bird was hunted, but there was ‘not a chance hers is’. 

Meghan Markle’s ‘banal’ attempt at humour may have backfired after fans were left scratching their heads about her turkey-inspired ‘mom joke’ 

However, her quip didn’t land the way Meghan might have hoped as one X/ Twitter user asked whether someone could explain the joke ‘for me like I’m five’ 

Another joked: ‘That is not a wild turkey. Wild turkey = game. [The brand] Butterball is just “turkey”. No need to “chase” them because they are in the meat section at your grocer.’ 

A third complained: ‘The inverted commas around “game” and then get it? tell me that she believes most people wouldn’t pick up on the banal wordplay.’ 

Several people agreed, as one Reddit user explained that animals like pheasant, partridge, quail, goose, wild duck, rabbit and boar usually spring to mind when one thinks of game. 

While it could ‘include wild turkey’, it would be wrong to classify the one Meghan seasons with salt and pepper in the video as game when it is ‘obviously’ store-bought. 

The laboured ‘game’ pun wasn’t the only grouse fans had with Meghan’s turkey video that was posted on her Instagram last evening. 

Some people branded it a ‘recipe for food poisoning’ after she was seen seasoning a turkey with her bare hands while wearing expensive jewellery. 

However, fans were left baffled when they noticed Meghan appeared to touch different kitchen surfaces and appliances after handling the raw meat without washing her hands. 

They also questioned why she was wearing jewellery, including her £7,000 Cartier Love bracelet and wedding ring stack, as they pointed out it could increase the risk of cross-contamination and spread harmful bacteria like salmonella. 

The confusion appeared to stem from the fact that turkey isn’t typically considered to be game or meat from hunted animals, as social media users admitted the pun ‘passed me by’

Meghan’s latest cooking video comes exactly one week before her Christmas Netflix special, With Love, is scheduled to air. 

To promote the new holiday-inspired cookery show, Meghan has been sharing lots of lifestyle content on her Instagram account – including a widely derided ‘hack’ for eating bagels with cream cheese and a video of her assembling a yoghurt parfait. 

But these videos appear to have had the unintended effect, as fans have suggested Meghan might not have the credentials to host a culinary show.

They accused her of being ‘very inexperienced with cooking’, not just because her recipes are astoundingly simple, but because Meghan often appears to make rudimentary food prep mistakes in the kitchen.

Watching her most recent turkey video, several people were confused by Meghan’s method of prepping the bird for her Thanksgiving meal while still wearing her Cartier ‘Love’ bracelet (£7,000) and her £134,000 engagement ring from Prince Harry.  

She was also wearing her gold wedding band, which is believed to be worth £12,700.  

They suggested it increased the risk of spreading bacteria like E.coli and salmonella that live in the gut of farm animals and is shed through their stool. 

It is most common in raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs because the cooking process kills off the bugs. Faeces may get onto raw meat and poultry during the butchering process, while seafood may be contaminated if harvested from contaminated water.

The laboured ‘game’ pun wasn’t the only grouse fans had with Meghan’s turkey video that was posted on her Instagram

‘Who “preps” with all their jewellery on and no gloves?’ one person asked. ‘Can you imagine all the raw meat under that ring that she is literally rubbing all over that turkey?

‘Never mind the accumulation under the nails and on that bracelet. Good luck to whoever is going to eat this!’ 

Another added: ‘I’d have more respect for her if she just had a show about cooking for non-cooks. 

‘She could just be upfront that she doesn’t know jack about actually preparing stuff, so here’s all her “go to’s” for putting food together. She could use a Whole Foods Thanksgiving dinner, for instance and enhance it (would need more than flower sprinkles though).

‘I really find her jewellery and lack of hygiene off-putting.’ 

One Reddit user suggested it was obvious Meghan had never taken a ‘food handling course’ while another added: ‘Nothing says I’m a cook like cross-contamination.’ 

‘This is me being petty Betty, but I hate when TV cooks make stuff with rings on. Seems messy and unsanitary,’ one comment read. 

Another Reddit user wrote: ‘Seriously, touching raw poultry without gloves. A recipe for food poisoning.’ 

One person even shared a cautionary tale about wearing jewellery in the kitchen, as they warned ‘rings can and will harbour germs’. 

‘My mom learned that lesson. She had to have her wedding and anniversary rings cut off her fingers because of the infection,’ they explained. ‘The doctors told her all it takes is one small scratch. I always take off my rings and any other jewellery when I’m in the kitchen.’ 

The video of Meghan presumably dry-brining the turkey before cooking it on Thursday comes after she showed fans how they can use the $15 (£11) flower sprinkles from her lifestyle brand As Ever to elevate a breakfast spread. 

Earlier this month, Prince Harry’s wife shared a clip of herself scooping cream cheese onto a plate, before topping it with thinly-sliced strawberries and a selection of flower petals for ‘surprise and delight’.

After adding four untoasted bagel slices to the plate, she then topped the mound of cream cheese with a smattering of flower sprinkles.

After stirring a pot of her $12 (£9) jam with a knife, she used it to scoop some of the cream cheese onto the bagel and topped it with the fruit spread.

Meghan’s new holiday-themed cooking show releases on Netflix on December 3

The video, shared to the As Ever Instagram page, was accompanied by the track Da Do Ron Ron by The Crystals and was captioned: ‘Strawberry! One of Oprah’s favourite things. Don’t miss out.’

Royal spectators were baffled by the snack calling her an ‘inexperienced cook’ with ‘no table etiquette’.

In a post shared to X, one commenter wrote: ‘What in the ever-loving fresh hell is THIS?!? So now to serve cream cheese, we are smearing it on a plate, throwing leaves on it and calling it “elevated”? Get me out of here. 

‘The fruit goo looks disgusting.’

It comes after Meghan’s recipe for ‘mulled water’ with her $16 Spiced Cider Mulling Spice Kit was widely mocked online. 

Fans couldn’t wrap their heads around the recipe as they pointed out the former Suits actress was effectively making a pot of ‘mulled water’, with one likening it to ‘air freshener in mugs’.