Sunday night's interview by Oprah Winfrey of Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle garnered nearly 18 million viewers, CBS announced today.
The 2-hour special — officially Oprah With Megan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special — was first in viewers for the day at 17.81 million, first in adults age 25-54, and first in adults age 18-49. It was the biggest audience for a primetime entertainment special since the Feb. 9, 2020, Academy Awards on ABC. (Of course, there haven't really been that many primetime specials since this, given the global pandemic.)
Piggybacking on the Harry and Meghan event was an encore presentation of The Equalizer, which netted nearly 6 million viewers and has since been renewed for a second season.
The interview — the rights for which which reportedly cost CBS $7 million — detailed the experience the couple have had being a part of the royal family, and how they believed "the firm" (as it's known) didn't just refuse to accept their relationship, but also did plenty to hurt it. That included not providing security for the couple's first child (Meghan is pregnant with their second), and the bombshell reveal that someone in the prince's family — neither would say who — worried that their child would be too dark-skinned.
The entire interview is a riveting watch not just for the answers, but for Oprah's interviewing prowess as well. It's not currently available on Paramount+, which is the streaming service owned by CBS' parent company, ViacomCBS. But you can watch it directly on the CBS website.
