Celebrities support 'courageous' Meghan Markle after Oprah interview

A number of celebrities have come forward to put their support behind "courageous" Meghan Markle for her explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she and her husband Prince Harry opened up about their decision to quit as senior members of the British royal family.

Beyoncé
The Grammy-winner took to her personal website to pay a sweet tribute to the Duchess of Sussex. Alongside a picture of herself and Meghan captured at The Lion King movie premier in 2019, the musician wrote: "Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership. We are all strengthened and inspired by you."

Serena Williams
The tennis star, who has been friends with the "Suits" alum for a long time, called her a "selfless friend" who "leads by example- with empathy and compassion." She added: "She (Meghan) teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she's experienced. I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us. We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism."

Hugh Jackman
The actor shared a video on Instagram praising the "courageous" royal couple for their interview. and recommending others to also watch it. The "X-Men" star said: "Seek help. And if you're not getting help where you're looking for it, keep looking — go somewhere else, because there is always help. Never worry alone...So I just want to say thank you, Meghan. Thank you, Harry, for your courage."

Joe Biden

The US President praised the former American actress for opening up about having suicidal thoughts and noted in a statement by his press secretary: "For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage and that's certainly something the president believes."

Hillary Clinton
The former US first lady, who had received a letter from an 11-year-old Meghan about the sexist representation of women in a dish soap advertisement, also applauded her for the interview. She told The Washington Post: "Their (British media) cruelty in going after Meghan was just outrageous. And the fact she did not get more support, that the reaction was, you know, 'just let's just paper it over and pretend that it didn't happen,' or 'it will go away, just keep your head down.' Well, you know, this young woman was not about to keep her head down. This is 2021."

Andy Cohen
The talk show host said he is "fully on the Sussexes' side" and "happy" that "they made the break!" He added: "Need more info about William – sounds really bad. Also – we need the return of the big Oprah interview."

Hugh Grant
The actor hit out at the work culture of British tabloids noting: "Most people the British press bully purely for the financial profit of their tax shy owners are not princesses. Or famous at all."

Maria Shriver
The former first lady of California tweeted a statement given by Meghan to Oprah that "we don't know what goes on in people's lives behind closed doors," and said it's something "we can all remember."

Sarah Silverman
The comedian suggested that Prince Harry should take his wife's last name.