Jessica Mulroney, once known as Meghan Markle’s closest friend, has unveiled a new lifestyle venture six years after the pair’s reported fallout in the wake of a race row.
The Canadian stylist first met Meghan in 2011, when the future Duchess of Sussex was living in Toronto while filming Suits.
Mulroney has now introduced The Haus of Her, a private members’ club and community platform aimed at “women in the middle of a defining transition”.
A fashion stylist and marketing consultant, Jessica built her profile through bridal styling and regular appearances as a fashion expert on North American morning shows. She also hosted the reality series I Do, Redo, which was cancelled after a race-related controversy.
Created by Jessica and businesswoman Val Bryden “in the middle of our own transition”, The Haus of Her is now accepting membership requests and will host a make-your-own-perfume event at Toronto’s Orris Labs on September 15.
Membership is priced at 39 Canadian dollars (£20) a month and includes a subscription box described as offering “something to invigorate, something to inspire, something to relax”.
The new wellness-focused project follows Jessica’s move last December to invite her 411,000 Instagram followers to subscribe for exclusive content, including styling advice.
Meghan has also carved out her own place in the lifestyle and wellness market, launching As Ever in 2024 with products inspired by her “long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining and hostess-ing with ease”.
Meghan and Jessica’s lives were once remarkably intertwined – with Jessica widely understood as the duchess’s staunchest defender, closest confidant and ‘keeper of secrets’ – including when she began secretly dating Prince Harry in 2016.
But in 2020, Meghan distanced herself after Jessica became embroiled in a race row with blogger Sasha Exeter in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The stylist hasn’t featured in any of Meghan’s public work and the pair do not follow each other on social media.
Meghan Markle’s former best friend Jessica Mulroney has announced the launch of a new lifestyle brand – more than six years since the Duchess cut off contact with her
Ms Mulroney has released The Haus of Her – a private members club and community space ‘ designed for ‘women in the middle of a defining transition’
For 39 Canadian dollars per month, members can also enjoy a monthly subscription box at which promises to be ‘something to invigorate, something to inspire, something to relax’
Despite their once close relationship, insiders claimed the duchess permanently cut ties with Jessica in 2020 after she became embroiled in a ‘feud’ with influencer Sasha Exeter.
At the time, Jessica was said to have ‘taken offence’ to a ‘generic call to action’ post Sasha had shared about the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a follow-up video, Sasha said: ‘I’m by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this: She is very well aware of her wealth, perceived power and privilege because of the colour of her skin and that, my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing. Textbook white privilege really, in my personal opinion.’
Following the blogger’s claims, Jessica issued three public apologies, however she still faced consequences and was dropped by numerous television networks.
Last month her husband Ben Mulroney told a podcast how he and his wife were cancelled in June 2020 after Sasha Exeter accused Jessica of white privilege.
In an extraordinary outburst on the No But Seriously Though podcast, Ben said: ‘A racial grifter decided to take advantage of the George Floyd moment and make up a complete fiction about my wife and the country decided to bend over backwards and say: “OK, well, here’s our hero and here’s our villain and everything was taken from my wife overnight”.’
Ben added: ‘What the DMs show is not that this woman was abused by my wife’s white privilege, but that this woman was antagonising my wife and so my wife said, “If you are going to threaten me, I’ll threaten you”.’
Sasha Exeter was previously approached for comment by Our News Outlet.
It was a dramatic end to a once widely publicised friendship – with Meghan often gushing about Jessica online prior to meeting Harry.
Jessica’s twin sons John and Brian, then seven, even had the honour of carrying the train of Meghan’s dress down the aisle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, while her daughter Ivy was a bridesmaid at the royal wedding alongside Princess Charlotte.
Founded by Jessica, left, and businesswoman Val Bryden ‘in the middle of our own transition’, The Haus of Her club is now open for membership requests
Jessica and her daughter Ivy at Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding with Kate and Princess Charlotte
Jessica’s new wellness venture comes after the former television star was seen encouraging her Instagram followers to sign up as subscribers
In December 2015, the Duchess said that ‘the room stops’ whenever her friend ‘shows up at an event’.
Referencing the Eighties US sitcom Out of This World, Meghan compared Jessica to the show’s heroine Evie (played by Maureen Flannigan) – who has the ability to freeze time.
Gushing about the effect Jessica has on people, Meghan described her as ‘savvy and fashionable and tres cool, and also va va va voom pritaaaay’.
She continued: ‘And here’s the other thing – she also happens to be an incredible stylist, clothing the likes of Canada’s First Lady, Sophie Trudeau.’
In her 2022 Netflix documentary, Meghan shared footage of the night Prince Harry proposed in 2017 – where she FaceTimed her friend as she walked the grounds of Kensington Palace.
The day of the royal wedding, Jessica shared snaps captioned: ‘Proud friend. Proud mom.’
While she was still living in Toronto, the duchess was regularly pictured at glamorous events with the Canadian mother-of-three.
Meghan was all over the stylist’s social media page years ago, and Jessica is even understood to have helped pick out the wedding dress for Rachel Zane – the Duchess’s character on Suits.
Despite Meghan and Jessica’s close relationship, insiders claimed that the Duchess had permanently cut ties with Jessica in 2020, after she became embroiled in a ‘feud’ with influencer Sasha Exeter
Jessica was also among several famous faces who organised Meghan’s baby shower in New York City, which is understood to have cost a whopping $500,000.
In 2019, Jessica said her life is an ‘open book’ but when it comes to a certain few things – such as her friendship with Meghan – her lips are completely sealed.
‘This is my first interview that I’ve done since the wedding or anything,’ Jessica told Harper’s Bazaar.
‘Listen, every person has to have a bit of privacy in their life. There are certain things I hold very dear and secret… There are things I’ll never talk about for sure.
‘My life is an open book, but there’s always a few secret pages in the back that nobody will be able to read.’
Meanwhile, as the backlash against Jessica began mounting, Meghan remained quiet and distant on the matter and has not publicly spoken about her friend in years.
One source told Our News Outlet their friendship is no longer ‘what it once was’, adding that this was due to the pair having ‘just grown apart’ and not because of the fallout between Jessica and Sasha.
The insider added: ‘Of course, Meghan has been worried about Jess. She’ll always have love for her.’ Jessica has since tried to rebuild her brand – this time, without Meghan by her side.
The Canadian mother-of-three has partnered up with Canadian high street label Aritzia and also secured deals with online retailers Revolve and Fwrd. In 2024, Jessica also teased a potential I Do, Redo comeback.
She wrote on Instagram: ‘If anyone knows me or what I love to do, it involves surprising brides and grooms with the wedding of their dreams. Finally, I’m getting back into the game. Coming to a screen near you.’
