Pamela Anderson’s team have surprising reaction to accusations Meghan Markle copied her homework

People say there are only seven kinds of stories, and cynics could take that to mean that there are no original ideas anymore. But TV fans still hope for unique storytelling when they sit down and relax after a long day. And, since the marketplace for celebrity reality/lifestyle shows feels so crowded, viewers have perhaps even higher expectations for the latest releases.

Meghan Markle‘s Netflix series With Love, Meghan has been the subject of a lot of conversations since it was first announced. As soon as the show came to the streaming service on Mar. 4, 2025, critics shared their negative thoughts. Now there’s another layer to the conversation: people who think With Love, Meghan is too close to Pamela Anderson‘s new TV show, Pamela’s Cooking With Love.

Well, while fans might expect anyone involved with Anderson’s show to say that With Love, Meghan is a duplicate, that’s not the case. The Pamela’s Cooking With Love co-creator, Jesse Fawcett, told The Daily Mail, “We take pride in planting the first seeds – creating original, distinctive programming that audiences love – and it’s a compliment to see our work with Ms Anderson resonate so strongly.” That’s an interesting response, right?! On the one hand, it’s polite, professional, and classy. On the other, it’s tough not to say this proves Pamela’s Cooking With Love came first. As The Daily Mail explained, Flavour Network bought Anderson’s show in February 2023, and a trailer came out in October 2024.

Of course, neither Pamela’s Cooking With Love nor With Love, Meghan is the first pretty or peaceful-looking show that features a famous person cooking and inviting fancy, beautiful people to have dinner with them. It’s hard not to point out how much they have in common, though. Besides both having “love” in the title, they both feature the stars, well, cooking and having fun with guest stars who know the ins and outs of kitchens, ingredients, and the art of making food look and taste amazing. Markle has included famous chefs like Alice Waters and the actress Mindy Kaling, and Anderson gets in the kitchen with beloved culinary stars such as Nancy Silverton and Gregory Gourdet.

There are definitely a lot of people who aren’t so sure that Markle’s show was necessary, and they’re also critical of her lifestyle brand, As Ever. Someone might watch both these series (or even just glance at some photos) and think that Anderson’s seems like less of a desire to build a new brand and more of a genuine wish to do something enjoyable.

Although fans of the Baywatch star and Love, Pamela author might expect her to keep acting or writing books, Anderson shared in an interview with Flavornetwork.com that it’s “always been my dream to have a cooking show.” As a plant-based activist, she has been hoping to talk about vegan food for several decades. She said, “I don’t know if people realize how much I love entertaining and cooking.” The show was also filmed on Vancouver Island, which is a lovely setting.

Markle and Anderson have faced more than their fair share of negativity, and they deserve to be happy and make projects that mean something to them. And both Pamela’s Cooking With Love and With Love, Meghan are no doubt the kind of programming that a lot of people are interested in watching. In these tough and stressful times, let’s embrace some low-stakes TV!