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Calarogu Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I
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am your host, Mark Francis. Good news for Megan she
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has topped a new celebrity ranking list. The bad news
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she tops the list for the most hated celebrity. Megan
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Michael has once again topped the list. She would no
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doubt prefer to avoid ranking as the world's most disliked celebrity.
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According to a new survey from Rancor, the Duchess of
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Sussex finished ahead of several notoriously divisive figures, including Kanye
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Weston Sean P. Diddy Combs, with seventy eight percent of
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voters placing her in the top spot. Ranker noted that
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each person on the list had distinguished themselves through their actions,
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steering public opinion against them. Described on the site as
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an American born member of the British royal family, the
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philanthropist and former actress, Meghan's standing reflects a combination of
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ongoing criticism and the lingering fascination with her every move.
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Voters purportedly cited recent controversies from her expensive tote bag
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collection to rumors about household items embroidered with Royal titles
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as reasons she remains a lightning rod for public debate.
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It's not the first time Megan has found herself in
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this position. In twenty twenty four, The Hollywood Reporter also
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named her among the year's most disliked celebrities, cementing her
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place as a figure who divides public opinion like few others.
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Prince Harry also featured prominently in the twenty twenty five lists,
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coming in fourth behind Combs and Jada Pinkett Smith. Meghan
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may appear to be thriving with a picturesque family, growing
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brand empire, and a sprawling Montecito mansion, but questions about
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her estrangement from parts of her extended family continued to resurface.
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One such voice belongs to Rosalind Markel, the former wife
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of Meghan's father, Thomas Markle Senior, who offered a different
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explanation for the family distance in their twenty seventeen interview.
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According to Roslyn, it wasn't drama or feuds that led
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to estrangement, it was geography and time. It's not tension,
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it's distance, she told Rader Online. When Meghan graduated from
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high school, she went to Northwestern, which is up in Illinois,
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and when she finished that she worked in Argentina. Then
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she started suits and she started her acting career. It
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was the scenario that everyone got busy and the distance
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was always a factor, rather than maintained that Meghan didn't
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actively shut out her relatives, though she admitted the Duchess
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didn't have much contact with her estranged half sister, Samantha.
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That part of the interview quickly drew fire. Samantha Mirkale
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rejected Roslin's claims outright on social media, tweeting Roslind Michael
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was Meghan's stepmom. Lol, My dad divorced Roslin in seventy four.
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No relation to Meg ever, and she knows nothing about
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our lives or Meghan. There's a new chatter linking Meghan
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to Taylor Swift's much discussed wedding. At this time, it's
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over whom I make the guest list. Some outlets have
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described the Duchess of Sussexes desperate for an invitation, though
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that claim appears to rest entirely on unnamed sources rather
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than anything Megan has set herself. The narrative contrasts sharply
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with Swift's own remarks, which suggests the pop superstar intends
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to be fairly open handed when it comes to invites.
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During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Swift laughed
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that she'd probably invite anyone that's ever talked to the
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comment that's been widely shared across social media. She later
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repeated in radio interviews that she wanted the planning process
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to feel fun, not bogged down by tricky guest list decisions.
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Despite that lighthearted tone, tabloids have been quick to spin
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stories about who might be excluded, including Swift's longtime friend
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Blake Lively, and who might be angling to attend. None
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of those reports have been backed by direct quotes or
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official confirmation. We're hoping Megan is invited. Royal commentator Ingrid
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Seward has said that Meghan Michael's business ventures remained closely
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tied to her royal status and to her husband, Prince Harry.
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Speaking on The Son's Royal Exclusive podcast, Seward remarked, without
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the royal tag, people are not interested. She needs Harry.
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Harry obviously needs and loves her. She needs Harry because
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without him, who is she just another person trying to
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flog their makeup or their food. She has to stand
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out for the crowd. Chrissy Tigan offered a rare peek
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into her long running friendship with Megan and explained why
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their children don't have play dates with Prince Archie and
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Princess Lillabit. Appearing at a recent event and speaking to
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People magazine, Tagan said, I really adore her. I think
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she is so incredibly strong. Tigan and Megan first crossed
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paths years ago as briefcase goals on the US version
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of Deal or No Deal, and reunited on camera in
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season two of Megan's Netflix lifestyle series, where they shared
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laughs while crafting birthday themed keepsakes. Asked why the kids
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haven't met up, Tagan was disarmingly practical. I don't know
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any I try to do every photo, shoot everything at
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our house, so no, but if the time came up, absolutely.
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She also pushed back on the fierce debate that often
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surrounds her friend, saying it's insane to me how polarizing
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she is for so many different people when she really
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is just a kind, good person that wants the best
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for all her friends, and the best for people around her,
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and the best for her own relationship and for her children.
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In Tiger's view, the narrative is simpler than critics suggest.
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She just wants those things, and people come up with
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all these different things that she could be about or
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what she wants. But it's not that complicated, Tagan. Out
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of that, Meghan remains unfazed by outside noise. I think
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it's cool that Megan is just like, listen, say whatever
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you want. I'm happy and I'm healthy and I feel good.
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In other news, wild experts say Zara and Mike Tindall
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are unlikely ever to become full time working royals when
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Prince William ascends the throne. Speaking on Helloes a Right
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Royal podcast, author Robert Jobson said a couple of well
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liked and frequently appear at family events taking on official
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duties would just complicate matters. He explained, Zara has been
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very popular, but she won't want to be limited commercially
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by people saying, oh, she's a royal, she's working. She
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shouldn't be getting this deal or that too. As non
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working royals, both Zara and Olympic equestrian and brand ambassador
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and her husband Mike, a former England rugby player and
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podcast hosts, are free to pursue lucrative endorsements. Mike has
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previously said he would definitely turn down a royal title
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more powers in just a moment. According to a recent
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Channel five documentary The Megan Effect, How she shook up
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the Royal Family, the Duchess of Sussex has her sights
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set on joining the billionaire ranks. Royal commentator Emily Andrews
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told the program, I've been told by those close to
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Meghan that she wants to become a billionaire. To become
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a billionaire, she has to build her brand to be
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as big and successful as it possibly can. Jam the beginning,
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I can see her moving into hospitality more generally, and
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if she manages to do that, I can absolutely see
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her becoming a billionaire. Chad dick Serah at PR Strategist
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said the timing is significant in this growing speculation that
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Megan is preparing to launch a fashion line. Emma Greed
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is exactly the kind of collaborator who could help her
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do that successfully. In recent months, Meghan has been expanding
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as ever with her first Christmas range featuring new candles,
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food preserves, in a Napa Valley sparkling wine. She also
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hinted at a beauty project, posting videos of herself a
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playing lipstick with the brand names carefully obscured. A move
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industry inside is described as a telltale sign of the
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new makeup line in the works. The Duchess has said
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she wants to create a long lasting business empire, and
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her recent appearances suggest she's moving full steam ahead with
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Hollywood polish, Silicon Valley ambition and perhaps a touch of
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Kardashian strategy. In Vogue, Emma Specter tells us you too,
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could make Meghan markles as Ever holiday collection Your Breakup Fuel.
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Emma tells of her breakup with her partner of four years, Racks,
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and how they handled it with the help of some
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Meghan products. Specter rates the answer for Rax and Be
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was clear, bubbling and lying in weight and our fridge. Together,
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we popped a bottle of Meghan markl Brand twenty twenty
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one vintage nap a Valley Brute, filled our glasses mine
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to the brim with him a side of weed vape,
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and toasted to what we can both honestly call the
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best four years of our lives so far. It actually
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tracks that something like Michaels as Ever collection would figure
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so prominently in our breakup. My relationship with Racks has
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always been anchored by luxury, or the pursuit of it. Anyway,
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there is nothing we loved more as a couple than scamming,
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whether that meant flexing our miittedly limited Queer Angelino clout
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for the occasional free Carabina or Gratis samples of cologne
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or Compton Knight stay at a luxury hotel, obviously the
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presence of as ever in our apartment. It was no
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pure scam. I'd always plan to write about it. What
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I couldn't have imagined was that the candles in the
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mail are pleasantly redolent of Moroccan mint, cardamom and tea
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leaves and water lotus sandalwood in California poppy, respectively, would
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flicker away as we took the day off work, joyfully
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canceled that afternoons couple's therapy session a fringe benefit of
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breaking up. You simply don't have to do that shit anymore,
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and began breaking the sad news to our best friends.
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While I can't say that it feels good to be
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single again just yet, when I picture myself in the
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only medium sad studio apartment, that I hope to move
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into sipping my as ever wine in the bath and
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burning an as ever candle while as ever jam waits
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in the fridge to be mixed into yogurt for a
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silly little bedtime treat. I feel I can do it,
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after all, who knows more about making a hard life
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pivot than Megan Markle herself. There you have it, like
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the email as her addresses The Palace Intriguer gmail dot com.
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Please follow us at Spotify and Apple, Facebook, Instagram, the
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social hub of your choice, and leave us a nice
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review if you're joining the show by Mike Francis My
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thanks to John McDermott. This balance in drig good terms