Lisa Ling Shares Support for 'Bright' Meghan Markle After Podcast Appearance

Lisa Ling
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Ling appeared alongside Margaret Cho on the latest episode of Markle's 'Archetypes' podcast.

Journalist Lisa Ling is praising Meghan Markle after appearing on her Archetypes podcast.

In a post shared to Instagram Wednesday, Ling, who is the latest guest on Markle's show, posted a photo of her and her daughter, Jett, 9, alongside the Duchess of Sussex. Ling not only praised the podcast, but Markle as a conversationalist, calling her "bright" and "compelling."

"So enjoyed talking to Meghan Markle for her podcast #Archetypes," Ling captioned the black-and-white photo. "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."

Appearing on an Oct. 4 episode titled "The Demystification of Dragon Lady" alongside comedian Margaret Cho, Ling discussed both the long-standing trope and Asian representation, telling Markle that the lack of AAPI representation she saw on the small screen inspired her to get into journalism.

"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," Ling shared. "My parents were divorced when I was 7, 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."

The CNN host continued, "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."

While Ling said she often finds herself the only Asian woman in the room, she said it's only pushed her to assert herself even more, as she works to assure her children and the younger generation that they deserve to "take up space."

"I think that that's something that is so important for us to convey to the younger generation and to our kids that we deserve to take up space. We really do," Ling added. "And I think culturally, particularly in the Asian culture, it's been one that that sort of discourages that. You know, there's that, popular term, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. You know, I think the amazing aspect of being an Asian American, particularly being an American, is… we want to stick out. We don't want to be hammered down. And we can bring this rich history and this rich culture along with us. But we're empowered to be able to say what we want, whenever we want."

Tuesday's episode marked the podcast's return after Markle pressed pause on the show following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last month.

Markle did not make mention of Queen Elizabeth or her death during the episode, as it appears to have been recorded prior to the monarch’s death.  

Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 at the age of 96. Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, joined the royal family in the moments after Elizabeth's death and for the funeral. In honor with tradition, the couple, along with the family, had a mourning period.  

At the time, ET confirmed that Markle paused the release of new Archetype episodes. The about section on the Archetypes webpage was also updated with a message that read, "New episodes of Archetypes will be paused during the official mourning period for Her Majesty The Queen." 

Markle’s latest episode comes after Archetypes premiered at the top of the podcast charts in August. So far, the duchess has been joined on her podcast by Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Mindy Kaling. 

Additional guests are set to include Constance Wu, Issa Rae and Ziwe.

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