It happened in an instant. A quick comment about fast food, a mention of a maiden name, and then—the correction. If you’ve been anywhere near social media lately, you’ve probably seen the clip from With Love, Meghan where the Duchess of Sussex stops Mindy Kaling mid-sentence. It wasn't about a recipe or a gardening tip. It was about her name. Specifically, the fact that she doesn't want to be called "Meghan Markle" anymore.
Honestly, the internet had a field day with this one. Some called it a "diva moment," while others saw it as a woman finally setting a firm boundary about her identity. But if we’re being real, the context matters just as much as the quote itself. This wasn't a random jab; it was a carefully captured (and likely produced) moment in her 2025 Netflix lifestyle series.
The Moment Meghan Markle Corrects Mindy Kaling
The scene feels cozy at first. Mindy Kaling—the mastermind behind The Mindy Project and a long-time friend of Meghan’s—is at a Montecito rental property helping the Duchess prep for a kid-friendly tea party. They’re chatting about being "latchkey kids" and the glamorous reality of eating Jack in the Box.
Mindy quips, “I don't think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack in the Box and loves it.”
Meghan doesn’t miss a beat. She smiles, but the tone shifts. “It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying ‘Meghan Markle.’ You know I’m Sussex now,” she says.
There’s a beat of silence. It’s the kind of pause that makes you want to check if your WiFi cut out. Mindy, ever the pro, rolls with it, but the "correction" felt pointed. It wasn't just a "hey, call me Meg." It was a reminder of a title, a brand, and a new legal reality for her family.
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Why the "Sussex" Rebrand Matters So Much
Why would she care so much about a last name when the whole world has known her as Markle since her Suits days? According to Meghan, it's about the kids. After she corrected Kaling, she explained that sharing a name with Archie and Lilibet is deeply meaningful to her.
“You have kids and you go, ‘No, I should share my name with my children,’” she told Mindy. “I didn't know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.’”
The Logistics of the Name Change
Technically, the family’s shift to using "Sussex" as a surname happened roughly around early 2024. Before that, the children were officially Mountbatten-Windsor. But following the coronation of King Charles III and the update to the royal website, the couple began leaning into "Sussex" as their professional and personal "family name."
For Meghan, this seems to be about cohesion. For the critics, it looks like a desperate attempt to cling to royal titles while living in California.
- The Maiden Name: Markle represents her pre-royal life and her career as an actress.
- The Title: Duchess of Sussex is a gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
- The Brand: Their website and production ventures are all centered on the "Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex."
Mindy Kaling’s Reaction: "I Honestly Didn't Even Remember It"
Naturally, once the episode aired, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) exploded. People were analyzing Mindy’s facial expressions like they were Zapruder film frames. Was she annoyed? Was she insulted?
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Mindy eventually addressed the viral moment on The View in March 2025. She seemed mostly confused by how much of a "thing" it had become. She told the hosts that she didn't even remember the exchange because they had filmed it nine months prior.
“I loved my time with Meghan,” Mindy said. “I’ve noticed that whenever I do something, anything, related to Meghan, it becomes big news.” She basically laughed it off as a "fascinating" look at how the public dissects every second of Meghan’s life.
Is it a Correction or a Micro-Management?
This isn't the first time we've seen Meghan be very "particular" about her narrative. On her Archetypes podcast (the one where Mindy first appeared as a guest in 2022), Meghan was very intentional about how labels like "ambitious" or "singleton" are used.
When Meghan Markle corrects Mindy Kaling, it highlights a friction that exists between her old life and her new one. Most of us will always call her Meghan Markle. It’s the name on her IMDB page. It’s the name on the Suits posters. But to her, that person is gone.
The "Sussex" moniker is a shield and a badge. It’s a way to separate the Hollywood actress from the global figure. But when you do it on camera to a friend who is essentially helping you film your lifestyle show, it can come across as brittle.
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The Reality of Royal Branding in America
The challenge Meghan faces is that Americans don't really do "titles" well. We like our celebrities to be relatable. We like the Jack in the Box stories. We don't necessarily like being told we're using the "wrong" last name for someone we've known for fifteen years.
Critics like Megyn Kelly pointed out that the correction felt scripted, noting that in a produced show, that moment could have easily been edited out if it made Meghan look "insufferable." The fact that it stayed in suggests that Meghan wants people to know she is a Sussex. It’s not a mistake; it’s a mission statement.
Lessons from the Interaction
If you're looking for the takeaway here, it's about the power of personal branding. Whether you agree with her or not, Meghan is consistently enforcing how she wants to be perceived.
- Be clear about your boundaries. If a name change is important to you—whether for marriage, divorce, or a royal title—you have to say it.
- Context is everything. A correction between friends in private is a conversation. A correction on a Netflix show is a public relations strategy.
- Identity is fluid. Meghan clearly feels that "Markle" is a chapter that is closed, and she is fighting to make sure the world turns the page with her.
To really understand the shift, keep an eye on how her future projects are billed. You'll notice the "Markle" slowly disappearing from official credits, replaced entirely by the "Sussex" title. It’s a bold move, especially in a country that fought a war to get away from titles, but it’s the path she’s chosen.
For anyone navigating their own rebrand or name change, the most effective route is often consistency over confrontation. Start by updating your digital presence—LinkedIn, email signatures, and social handles—to reflect the new name before expecting others to catch on. If you must correct someone, keeping it light and focusing on the "why" (like the family connection Meghan mentioned) usually helps the medicine go down a bit easier.