Is Pippa Middleton butting her way onto American television screens? According to the U.K.’s Sunday Mirror, the Today show may offer Prince William’s pregnant wife’s younger sister (because really, that is who she is), $600,000 to make 20 appearances beginning next year. The position would require her to cover quintessentially British events like the Chelsea Flower Show and the opening of Buckingham Palace. Although the proposal is of dubious certainty, the woman in the form-fitting, cowl-neck bridesmaid dress that launched a thousand copies and surgeries would be a dynamic choice for Today, which has recently ended its 16-year streak as the most watched network morning show.
Certainly, her appeal could be a lightning rod for the ratings. Pippa, already a well-known British socialite (Tatler Magazine named her the “Number 1 Society Singleton” in 2008), burst onto the international scene immediately after the royal wedding as a sharp-dressed, well-rounded (ahem), vivacious socialite who seemed unbothered to make her first global splash as a second fiddle. In fact, her instant popularity was swiftly translated into tabloid covers speculating on her love life (wealthy men, several of them), her activities (running, partying), and everything in between. She was included in this year’s TIME 100 and published a party planning tome. Her successes were measured, though; a photograph of her pointing a fake gun at the paparazzi caused a stir and her book, Celebrate, was released to poor reviews and sales despite a major media blitz. All told, her reputation as a fun-loving trendsetter has hardly waned, meaning a Today show gig (if authentic) would enhance her transatlantic charm. But should (or could) she do it? Let’s examine the possibilities.
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1. The Today show has a history of hiring fresh-faced relatives of the political elite—Jenna Bush Hager is currently a correspondent, and she just announced that she’s pregnant. Will Pippa step in during her maternity leave? It might just be the perfect test run.
2. Just like Hager, Pippa is connected to a very prominent pregnancy. Her covering the U.K.’s news and events as a bona fide high-society Brit means that the Today show can capitalize on laser-focused attention on the royal family, even if she can’t actually report on intimate family details.
3. Pippa can also benefit from the job. A known schmoozer, she would enjoy chatting about the goings-on of her homeland on television, which could potentially help her recover a bit of her intellectual image after her disastrous book.
But it’s not all English roses for Pippa’s media career. There are some very obvious setbacks including, but not limited to:
1. She demonstrated an appalling grasp of the complexities of the English language in Celebrate. (“There is something very British about tea.”) Live television may be like a game of roulette.
2. The royal family is known for treasuring their privacy (meaning, monitoring all public appearances) and would likely disapprove of even a non-blood relative taking on such a public position. In October, Pippa canceled her U.S. book tour during the fallout from Kate’s topless photo scandal. According to a source, any question posed about Kate during the tour would be seen as a statement. Using the royal family to promote her book in any way would have put her on the same level as Sarah Ferguson, an unenviable position.
3. Again, she probably hasn’t been offered the job at all. “There has been no such offer made to Pippa Middleton by the Today show,” Today‘s rep told E! News in a statement. “She of course is welcome as a guest on Today anytime.”