Sandra Lee Praises Meghan Markle’s ‘With Love’ Netflix Show, Says the Backlash ‘Didn’t Seem Fair’ (Exclusive)

Sandra Lee counts herself a fan of Meghan Markle’s “beautifully filmed” With Love, Meghan docuseries — and has a pointed message for any critics.

“I was actually surprised about the backlash to the show. It didn’t seem fair,” Lee, 58, exclusively told Us Weekly at the New York Women in Film and Television 2025 MUSE Awards on Wednesday, March 26, at NYC’s Cipriani 42nd Street. “[I’ve been] in the lifestyle space for years. We have mixed relatable and unrepeatable elements [too].”

Netflix dropped With Love, Meghan earlier this month, in which the Duchess of Sussex, 43, showed off her newly rediscovered passions for cooking, floral arrangements and DIY crafts. On the show, Meghan invited a slate of her famous friends — including Mindy Kaling, Abigail Spencer and Suits makeup artist Daniel Martin — to catch up as they made new recipes and crafts.

“Megan’s show is very well done [and] beautifully filmed,” Lee gushed to Us. “[It has] calming, serene content — and she even used my trick of using a plastic bag as a piping bag for her cake! I’m happy for her. Her crew is doing a great job.”

Lee further offered Meghan “good luck” upon the news that With Love would return to the streaming platform for a second season.

“Keep on going, and inspire people to make beautiful things,” Lee concluded on Wednesday.

Meghan’s lifestyle passions were initially chronicled on her now-defunct The Tig blog, which she shuttered upon her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. Lee, meanwhile, has also been a staple in the space as a James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef and the star of Food Network’s Semi-Homemade Cooking With Sandra Lee. She most recently cohosted 2024’s Dinner Budget Showdown on the Roku Channel with Jordan Andino.

“It feels like getting back to me again and that’s what’s important,” Lee told Us in May 2024 of her cooking series return. “I want to do what I do best, and that is serve the everyday homemaker that is just trying to get everything done in the short time that she has to get it done in a little moment to relax.”

She continued at the time, “What I love about this is it’s not speaking down to the audience. We are making this very elevated dish, a very expensive dish that doesn’t require any budget whatsoever. The guest judges — that are also the chefs — come in and they make this over-the-top fantastic dish. And then three different contestants try to remake that for the least amount of money.”