Meghan Markle is facing online backlash over the timing of her latest As ever product announcement after the lifestyle brand unveiled its new Spiced Apple Butter only hours after Dolly Parton's death was announced on Tuesday, 25 August.
The Duchess of Sussex's brand promoted the autumn inspired spread as tributes to the 80-year-old 'Jolene' singer and philanthropist were flooding social media around the world.
The controversy centres on an As ever Instagram post published later that day, approximately four hours after Parton's family announced her death through her official social media accounts.
The post introduced Spiced Apple Butter as 'a sweet taste of late summer' and said it would arrive on 26 August, meaning the criticism concerns the timing of the promotional reveal rather than the product's actual on sale date.
There is no evidence that Markle deliberately scheduled the announcement to follow Parton's death, and neither she nor As ever has publicly addressed the criticism.
Critics Question the Timing
The announcement quickly drew criticism on Reddit, particularly within r/SaintMeghanMarkle, a community specifically devoted to discussing and criticising the former Suits actress.
One user wrote: 'Announcing a new product just hours after Dolly Parton dies. It may have been prescheduled, but even so, she can cancel it.' Other commenters similarly argued that a major celebrity death should have prompted the brand to delay its planned marketing.
Reaction elsewhere was more mixed, however, with some social media users questioning why a previously planned commercial post should be linked to Parton at all. In a Mumsnet discussion about the controversy, one commenter wrote: 'Surely things like this are just scheduled. I don't think there's more to it than that.'
Another noted that the As ever promotion contained no reference to Parton, underscoring that claims about Markle attempting to capitalise on the singer's death remain unsupported speculation.
As ever Expands Its Pantry Range
Spiced Apple Butter is the latest addition to Markle's growing As ever food and lifestyle line, which already includes fruit spreads, honey, tea, candles and wine. The company's official website describes the new $12 spread as 'a first taste of fall', while a three jar Spiced Apple Butter Trio is priced at $42. As ever says its broader food collection grew from fruit from Meghan's garden that she turned into preserves in her home kitchen.
The apple butter rollout had also begun before Parton's death was announced. As ever teased the product in the days beforehand, including orchard imagery and a preview describing it as a 'fall favorite', making it clear that the campaign was already underway rather than created in response to the news. That distinction has become central to the online debate, with criticism focusing on whether the brand should have interrupted a scheduled launch once Parton's death became public.
Dolly Parton Tributes Sweep Social Media
Parton's family announced her death on 25 August in a video shared through the country legend's official social channels. Her nephew, who served as her head of security for more than two decades, said Parton had asked him years earlier to make the announcement when the time came, telling fans that she had 'lived in the light'.
The singer's death triggered tributes celebrating a career that included '9 to 5', 'Jolene' and 'I Will Always Love You', as well as her extensive work promoting children's literacy.
Dollywood also issued an official statement mourning its founder and 'Dreamer in Chief', saying Parton wanted the Tennessee park to remain a place of 'joy, hope and togetherness'. The organisation said it would remain open in accordance with her wishes, invoking one of Parton's enduring philosophies: 'the show must go on'.
Against that wave of mourning, As ever's otherwise routine product announcement became a flashpoint over celebrity marketing, timing and how quickly brands are expected to respond when a major cultural figure dies.
