Meghan Markle recently displayed a notably enthusiastic camaraderie with Nicole Avant, the wife of Netflix’s CEO, Ted Sarandos, during a gathering in Montecito, according to a body language expert. This public display comes amid swirling rumors of tension between the Sussexes and Netflix after their lucrative contract concluded earlier this year, and Sarandos subsequently unfollowed Meghan’s personal Instagram and her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
Despite these speculations, Meghan, aged 44, was all smiles at the Beef Season Two Tastemaker event in California. She was seen warmly holding hands with Nicole Avant, culminating in an affectionate embrace, seemingly signaling no rift with the streaming giant.
The event, however, presented its own set of awkward moments. Notably, Meghan chose an outfit strikingly similar to that of the event’s star, Carey Mulligan, while most attendees adhered to a monochrome dress code.
Judi James, a body language expert, interpreted Meghan’s actions as a deliberate attempt to dispel any rumors of discord with Netflix. According to James, the Duchess’s prolonged hug with Avant was a strategic move to project an image of close friendship, akin to underlined, bold italics in communication, emphasizing her performance for the cameras.
‘Meghan’s exaggerated, displayed attachment rituals here look aimed at showing there is no “beef” between her and Netflix,’ body language expert Judi James said of her ‘prolonged’ hug with Nicole Avant.
The gesture appeared ‘especially penned in underlined, bold italics’ as Meghan ‘performs to showcase her “bestie” to the camera’.
Highlighting how Meghan’s torso is ‘facing inward close and her arms are wrapped around Nicole in an entwined and prolonged hug’ that ‘signals emotional dependency and intensity’ between lifelong friends, Ms James added.
She also noted Prince Harry and Meghan appear to be ‘photo-bombing’ Mr Sarandos and Nicole in group photos.
Meghan Markle put on an ‘exaggerated’ show of attachment at a recent Netflix party as she ‘performed’ her friendship with CEO Ted Sarandos’s wife
After photos from the event were shared online, some fans questioned whether Meghan had ‘disregarded’ the event’s dress code when they noticed she was wearing the same colour as Beef star Carey Mulligan
‘The way the Sarandoses continue their “couples” posing in the lineup makes it look almost as though Meghan is photo-bombing their pose,’ she said.
‘They adopt a tight, smiling, mirrored pose of couples’ unity, leaving Harry and Meghan to their side, but Meghan appears to want to share the affection, still having hold of Nicole’s hand here.’
Ms James pointed out Meghan’s ‘umbilical hand clasp’ with Nicole, as she added the ‘tight grip’ appears to suggest the Duchess is seeking ‘further support and encouragement from Nicole’.
‘As a gesture, it could give the impression of someone needily seeking extra support with camera-shyness, although that could hardly be the case for Meghan,’ Ms James said.
On Saturday night, Meghan and Prince Harry joined several A-listers, including Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, Riverdale star Charles Melton and British actress Carey Mulligan, at the Montecito launch party for season two of Netflix hit Beef.
Melton and Mulligan both star in the popular drama that returns to screens on April 16.
After photos from the event were shared online, some fans questioned whether Meghan had ‘disregarded’ the event’s dress code when they noticed she was one of two guests wearing green amid a sea of black and white outfits.
Ms James also noted how Prince Harry and Meghan appear to be ‘photobombing’ Ted and Nicole in group photos
Meghan was all smiles while posing with Netflix boss Ted Sarandos
Ted Sarandos taking a selfie with the stars of BEEF and other guests, most of whom appear to have stuck to a monochrome dress code
Meghan posed up a storm in a chartreuse silk dress from Heidi Merrick that was very similar to Mulligan’s green gown.
The apparent ‘faux pas’ was criticised online, as X/Twitter users noted Meghan typically wears neutrals and questioned why she had opted for the olive green ensemble on this occasion.
One person wrote: ‘I’d believe it was a mistake if it wasn’t THAT colour. That’s not a normal colour, and she never wears colour either, but the time she chooses to it just happens to be this really unique colour, the star of the party chooses?’
Another said: ‘This could be one of Markle’s biggest faux pas to date (and there have been very many).’
A third said Meghan’s green dress was the reason she wasn’t in any of the group photos from the event.
Meghan and Harry’s appearance at the event came after Mr Sarandos quietly unfollowed the Duchess and her lifestyle company As Ever on Instagram – around the same time her brand was purged by the streamer, the Daily Mail revealed last month.
Netflix’s boss was one of the first big names to follow Meghan when she returned to social media at the start of 2025.
In March last year, her lifestyle business’s Instagram account launched, first as American Riviera Orchard and then as Ever, which Sarandos added to his list of around 450 accounts he follows.
But he unfollowed both Meghan and As Ever around February time – as did his creative chief, Bela Bajaria.
Both have been extremely positive about Meghan previously, with Sarandos calling her ‘the rock star’ as recently as last spring.
Mr Sarandos’ wife Nicole does still follow Meghan on Instagram – but not As Ever. A Netflix source previously told the Daily Mail: ‘Nicole and Meghan are still friends.’
Mr Sarandos has been co-CEO of Netflix since 2020, after being promoted from Chief Content Officer. He has been with Netflix since March 2000.
