Lisa Ling has praised Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as a "bright and compelling conversationalist."
Lisa Ling praises Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (C) Lisa Ling/Instagram
The 49-year-old journalist sat down with the former 'Suits' actress - who was known as Meghan Markle before marrying Prince Harry in 2018 - for an interview on her 'Archetypes' podcast and later took to social media to heap praise on the duchess, who stepped down from royal duties along with her husband in 2020.
Alongside an image of herself, her daughter Jett Ling and Meghan herself, Lisa wrote on Instagram: "So enjoyed talking to Meghan Markle for her podcast #Archetypes. She is such a bright and compelling conversationalist and I hope people take the time to get to know her beyond the often insidious headlines. @spotifypodcasts."
During the episode - which was the first to be released since the death of Queen Elizabeth, who died in September at the age of 96 following a 70-year reign - the pair were joined by comedienne Margaret Cho, and the trio discussed Asian representation in the media, with Lisa revealing that it was the lack of it that inspired her to take up a career in journalism.
She said: "To be honest with you, the reason why I pursued broadcast journalism at all was because growing up, it's the only path that I thought was available to me. I was someone who grew up in a broken home. My parents were divorced when I was seven, and the television was always on in my home. It was like my favorite babysitter. And I used to have these fantasies of being part of it somehow, because I thought, if I can get on TV, maybe I will have a better life one day. But no one looked remotely like me on TV except for Connie Chung.
"She still is just the symbol of elegance and intelligence and grace. And she really allowed me to know what was possible. She was the only Asian person on a national stage. And so I thought that this would be my only pathway."
Tagged in Prince Harry Queen Elizabeth Meghan Markle