Meghan Markle’s Suits co-star has her back in fighting a racist Twitter troll

‘She’s got more power, strength, honour and compassion in her fingernail than you’ll ever know in this lifetime’

From the editors of InStyle US Words by Alexandra Whittaker

If anyone has Meghan Markle’s back, it’s Patrick J. Adams, and not just because they starred together on Suits.

The actor has been very supportive of his former co-star since news of her engagement to Prince Harry was announced last year, and that’s not stopping anytime soon – particularly when it comes to online trolls.

Over the weekend, Republican politician Paul Nehlen reportedly tweeted out a since-removed image of Prince Harry alongside Markle, whose face was replaced by an image of Cheddar Man, a 10,000-year-old prehistoric human with dark skin and blue eyes. He allegedly captioned the photo: ‘Honey, does this tie make my face look pale?’

Last week, it was revealed that the Cheddar Man – one of England’s oldest complete skeletons – had dark skin. After Nehlen posted the tweet, Adams immediately weighed in and defended Markle’s honour, calling Nehlen a ‘sad and sick man with no sense of shame or class.’

‘Get a life,’ Adams wrote. ‘And don’t go anywhere near MM – she’s got more power, strength, honour and compassion in her fingernail than you’ll ever know in this lifetime. Way above your weight class.’

Since then, Nehlen’s account has been suspended by Twitter, possibly also because of anti-Semitism, according to The Washington Post.

Adams and Markle have been notably supportive of one another, even before her engagement to Prince Harry brought her under increased scrutiny. When Markle’s engagement was first announced, Adams used social media to commend her.

‘Playing Meghan’s television partner for the better part of a decade uniquely qualifies me to say this: Your Royal Highness, you are a lucky man and I know your long life together will be joyful, productive and hilarious,’ he wrote. ‘Meghan, so happy for you, friend. Much love.’

This kind of support is especially helpful because of what Markle has experienced.

As a biracial woman, she has been the subject of racist abuse during her time in the spotlight, to the degree that even Prince Harry released a rare statement about the ‘wave of abuse and harassment’ hurled at her. She wrote about some of her family’s experiences with racism in an essay in 2015, talking specifically about her grandparents encountering it in their day to day lives.

‘It makes me think of the countless black jokes people have shared in front of me, not realising I am mixed, unaware that I am the ethnically ambiguous fly on the wall,’ she wrote. ‘It makes me wonder what my parents experienced as a mixed race couple.’