The royal family prevented Meghan Markle from saying this one word on "Suits"

Who knew that Kensington Palace held sway in Hollywood, much less a USA Network series?

By Nardos Haile

Staff Writer

Published August 29, 2023 5:57PM (EDT)

Actress Meghan Markle attrends the premiere of USA Network's "Suits" Season Five at Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel on January 21, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Actress Meghan Markle attrends the premiere of USA Network's "Suits" Season Five at Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel on January 21, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

Meghan Markle was forbidden by the royal family to say "poppycock" in an episode of the legal drama "Suits," the show's creator Aaron Korsh shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Korsh said that he wasn't aware of how the royal family received and read scripts before they were filmed but he always received feedback. The specific line of dialogue that was changed was "It's poppycock." Korsh explained that his wife's family use the word "when they have a topic to discuss that might be sensitive."

In the scene, Markle's character, Rachel is arguing with her love interest, Mike (Patrick J. Adams) and as a parallel to Korsh's in-laws the script was written to say, "My family would say 'poppycock.'" But Korsh said the royal family did not want her saying the word — he "presumes because they didn't want people cutting things together of her saying 'c**k.'" The "poppycock" changed to "bulls**t"

Korsh said "being irritated is your initial reaction" when occasional input and suggestions from the royal family changed his vision. But "it got explained to me that it was about that [splicing potential], I had some sympathy because I wouldn't want somebody doing that to her either," he explained. "And the thing is, I didn't think anybody really would, but also I don't know. People are crazy." 

Markle left the nine-season-long show in the seventh season finale in 2018, just a few weeks prior to her royal wedding to Prince Harry.


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