Is the ‘Jam Is My Jam’ Duchess Finally Out of Cash and Ideas — Now Just Collecting Commissions on Other People’s Products?
A bombshell re-analysis of Meghan Markle’s February 2025 “jam is my jam” video has sent royal watchers into a frenzy, claiming her once-hyped As Ever lifestyle brand is quietly morphing into little more than a third-party affiliate marketplace — pushing other companies’ goods for easy commissions while avoiding the heavy lifting of real product development, manufacturing, and fulfillment.
The theory, gaining traction among sharp-eyed royal commentators, paints a picture of a cash-strapped former actress who prefers passive affiliate income over building an actual empire. It comes at the worst possible time for the Montecito-based brand: leaked internal data earlier this year showed more than 650,000 units of unsold inventory, website traffic that’s embarrassingly low compared to stock levels, and the humiliating departure of flagship investor Netflix in March 2026.
In the now-viral video clip, a casually dressed Meghan appears in an intimate close-up, white button-down shirt slightly open at the collar, hand placed dramatically over her heart as she speaks directly to camera with that signature breathy enthusiasm. “There’s so many more products that I just love that I use in my home and now it’s time to share it with you,” she says, eyes sparkling with apparent sincerity.
At the time, many took it as a promise of exciting new As Ever originals. But according to the fresh breakdown, it was actually the first public hint that the brand would lean heavily on collaborations and affiliate-style partnerships instead of creating and selling its own products from scratch.
The pattern is impossible to ignore.
As Ever has already rolled out multiple collaborations rather than standalone launches: the March 2026 Bloom Box with luxury flower purveyor High Camp Supply (pairing As Ever’s herbal peppermint tea and sage honey with curated blooms), and the just-teased strawberry matcha collaboration with Clevr Blends that dropped yesterday. Earlier partnerships with Compartés chocolate and others follow the same script.
Critics now argue these aren’t creative expansions — they’re lifelines. By curating and promoting other brands’ products, As Ever can earn commissions or profit shares without tying up capital in production runs, warehousing, shipping logistics, or quality control headaches. It’s the same model Meghan reportedly loved during her The Tig days and later formalized with a ShopMy page launch in March 2025 and the more recent introduction of a OneOff page.
In other words: minimal risk, maximum passive income. Drop-shipped by the partner brands, sold under the As Ever umbrella, and Meghan pockets her cut.
The numbers tell a brutal story.
When As Ever’s website accidentally exposed its inventory numbers in January 2026, the scale of the problem became clear: over 650,000 units sitting in warehouses. Yet U.S. website visitors from January through May totaled only around 392,000 — a glaring mismatch that suggested massive overproduction and weak consumer demand. Total global visits barely cracked one million across five months.
Netflix’s decision to divest from As Ever in March only accelerated the crisis. Once positioned as a major backer, the streaming giant walked away, leaving the brand to fend for itself amid reports of sluggish sales and mounting skepticism about its long-term viability.
Royal insiders and business analysts now see the affiliate pivot as a survival tactic. Why pour millions into developing, testing, manufacturing, and marketing original products when you can simply slap your curated stamp on other people’s inventory and collect commissions? It’s faster, cheaper, and requires far less capital — something the Sussexes have reportedly been short on after years of high-profile business flops, expensive Montecito security, legal battles, and lifestyle costs.
The irony is thick.
Meghan has long cultivated an image as an empowered entrepreneur and authentic lifestyle guru. Yet the business strategy now emerging looks more like classic influencer affiliate marketing than the bold, independent brand she promised. Fans who bought into the vision of As Ever as a premium, values-driven lifestyle line are watching it potentially dilute into yet another celebrity-curated shop page.
The “jam is my jam” video, once sold as charming and relatable, now reads to skeptics as the moment the mask slipped — revealing a preference for easy commissions over the grind of building something real from the ground up.
Whether this marketplace evolution will rescue As Ever or simply confirm long-standing criticisms that the brand was always more about PR and passive income than genuine entrepreneurship remains to be seen. What’s already clear is that the once-shiny Sussex lifestyle project is looking increasingly like a desperate rebrand of convenience.
The Duchess who wanted to “share” her favorite home products may soon be sharing a lot more — other brands’ products, that is — while her own inventory continues to gather dust.
(End of article)
