Meghan Markle has come under fire for her comments on the 1992 Los Angeles riots, with critics accusing her of being historically tone-deaf and self-dramatizing. In a recent interview, Markle described the riots as “cinematic” and compared the scene to a movie, mentioning the sight of looters carrying boxes of diapers and ash falling from the sky.
Local residents who actually lived through the unrest have slammed Markle for her comments, with one source calling it “a joke and shameful.” Another resident expressed anger, saying, “She says the ashes ‘felt like snow.’ We lost half the city. Who talks like this?”
Critics have also taken issue with Markle’s framing of the riots, accusing her of focusing on how the events shaped her personally rather than considering their impact on the wider community. One Hollywood publicist pointed out that Markle’s privileged upbringing in a middle-class neighborhood in Los Angeles does not align with her attempts to portray herself as deeply affected by the riots.
Markle’s upbringing in Los Angeles was far from the impoverished areas most affected by the riots. Her father was an Emmy Award-winning television lighting director, and her mother was a social worker and yoga instructor. Despite her attempts to connect with the events of the riots, many have questioned the sincerity of her statements.
This is not the first time Markle has spoken about the L.A. riots. In a 2020 speech to students at Immaculate Heart, she recounted her memories of the unrest, describing the fear and chaos she witnessed as a young girl. In a 2015 essay for Elle, she warned about the racial tensions that still plagued America, referencing the protests in Ferguson and Baltimore.
The L.A. riots were a significant event in the city’s history, sparked by the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King. The aftermath of the riots left a trail of destruction, with dozens killed, thousands injured, and billions of dollars in property damage. The scars of the riots still linger in the memory of those who experienced them firsthand.
As Markle continues to navigate her public image and connect with her past, her comments on the L.A. riots have sparked a debate about privilege, authenticity, and the importance of understanding history in context. It remains to be seen how she will address the backlash and whether she will reflect on the impact of her words on those who lived through the events she describes so vividly.
