Melissa McCarthy defends her 'wonderful' and 'inspiring' friend Meghan Markle amid criticism of American Riviera Orchard: The Duchess of Sussex's Hollywood BFF says a 'smart woman with her own life is incredibly threatening to some people'

Meghan Markle's celebrity friend Melissa McCarthy has defended the former Suits star amid criticism of her American Riviera Orchard brand, calling her an 'inspiring' woman suffering 'hate' for getting on with her 'own life'.

The Duchess of Sussex is launching her lifestyle business by giving away 50 limited edition jars of her strawberry jam to her inner circle who have shared influencer-style pictures of them on Instagram.

But some critics have ridiculed the brand and concept. One person bought up American Riviera Orchard's domain name in the UK and used it to link to a food bank's GoFundMe, which has raised more than £21,000 in donations in a week.

Speaking at the Broadway opening of 'Suffs' last week, comedian Melissa McCarthy said criticism of Meghan is because people are 'threatened' by her, adding that the Duchess of Sussex is 'wonderful' and 'awesome'.

She said: 'It bums me out for every woman and every person, that for no reason people just like to attack. A smart interesting woman that has her own life, for some reason, is incredibly threatening to some people'.

Melissa McCarthy has defended Meghan Markle, insisting she is a brilliant woman and critics are threatened by her

Meghan and Melissa have become firm friends. Melissa says Meghan is a 'smart interesting woman'

The Duchess of Sussex is in the process of launching her American Riviera Orchard brand by giving jam to friends in limited edition batches

She told Page Six: 'I always think, how inspiring. I’ve never once been threatened by someone who is amazing. I just think how inspiring. It’s really on the people throwing the hate'.

Melissa, who marked Meghan Markle’s 40th birthday by helping launch her 40x40 mentorship scheme, has been vocal in her support for Meghan and Prince Harry.

The Duchess Of Sussex had celebrated her milestone birthday by announcing a new initiative to help women back into work. 

The duchess asked 40 activists, athletes, artists and world leaders to participate by contributing 40 minutes of mentorship to women re-entering the workforce, saying that millions of women have been 'shouldered the brunt' of the Covid-19 pandemic and need help returning or regaining employment.

At the start of a Zoom-style call in her spotless LA mansion, Meghan told Melissa McCarthy: 'It's my 40th birthday and I've got an idea. Because I'm turning 40, I'm asking 40 friends to give 40 minutes of their time to mentor a woman who is remobilising back into the workforce.

'Over 2million women in the US alone and tens of millions around the world have lost their jobs due to Covid. And I think if we all do it, and all commit 40 minutes to an act of service, it can have a ripple effect.'

Comedy: Melissa successfully made her friend Meghan laugh by wearing different hats and outfits - often with a nod to Meghan's brief time as a frontline royal - to mark her 40th

Joker: Melissa went on to elaborate about the Duke's idea to show off his circus skills in Meghan's 40th birthday video. Harry was spotted juggling through a window

Hilarious: The 40 x 40 video ended with 'bloopers' from the recording session, and Melissa in fits of hysterics 

Melissa repeatedly interrupted Meghan with jokes about other things she could be doing to celebrate her birthday, leaning on her royal links suggesting a tea party or a bash on a yacht.  

The 40 x 40 video ended with 'bloopers' from the recording session - including one shot of Prince Harry juggling in the garden, which can be seen through the window. 

The Duchess of Sussex has been leaning on her friends to support the American Riviera Orchard brand. 

Meghan's former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer revealed over the weekend that she is one of the 50 to have received a limited edition jar of the Duchess' new American Riviera Orchard strawberry jam.

It is not known of Melissa has been sent a jar. 

Abigail, 42, was gifted the sixth jar in the batch, she revealed today in an over-the-top photoshoot that showcased her reclining in the grass with the precious preserve.

The actress appears to still be a close member of Meghan's inner circle, while several of her former co-stars have since been notably cut from the royal's life as her stock soared in recent years.

Meghan, 42, and Abigail made headlines last week after the pair were seen beaming together in a series of Instagram pictures to support friend Kelly McKee Zajfen's new Mother's Day campaign for her charity 'Alliance of Moms.'

Kelly, 44, also received one of the coveted jams and gushed over it on social media, saying last week how she was 'so proud' of the Duchess.

Meghan Markle 's close friend and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer is one of the lucky 50 to have received a limited edition jar of the Duchess' new American Riviera Orchard strawberry jam

Abigail showcased her pal's gift, which was presented in a bowl of lemon's surrounded by flowers, in a photoshoot today

The Duchess of Sussex sent friends the limited-edition jar ahead of the formal launch of her brand later this spring with a range of items. 

The majority of the 50 recipients have yet to publicly acknowledge this most anticlimactic merch drop.  

But Abigail showcased her pal's gift, which was presented in a bowl of lemon's surrounded by flowers, in a photoshoot today.

Smiling in a sunny garden with her dog, the Grey's Anatomy star displayed the ceramic bowl for all to see. 

'This jam is my jam,' she told her followers. 'A delicious taste of what’s to come indeed… love you so M.'

Her post appeared to be well-received among her followers, with actress Mindy Kaling even commenting that it was 'like an ad for sunshine and happiness'. 

American jewellery designer Maya Brenner, whose brand became famous worldwide when Meghan was spotted wearing a necklace with an 'M' and 'H' charm back in 2016, also commented Abigail's post.

She said: 'This is just the prettiest pic. And our Love Retreat necklace collaboration making an appearance.' 

However, some appear skeptical of the photoshoot with one user branding it as 'hilarious' and another saying: 'Not even an attempt to remove the c****y lemons and dead flowers? Its like a cheap farmers market basket.'

'Are you sure you want to eat that jam??????' one user questioned. 

Smiling in a sunny garden with her dog, the Grey's Anatomy star displayed the ceramic bowl for all to see

Abigail, 42, was gifted the sixth jar in the batch, she revealed today in an over-the-top photoshoot that showcased her reclining in the grass with the precious preserve

Abigail's post comes just days after she and Meghan were featured in Kelly's 'love like a mother' campaign, which aims to provide educational resources, doulas, healthcare, housing and therapy for young mothers and their children. 

Kelly's charity Alliance of Moms is a non-profit supporting young mothers in the foster care system.

In her Instagram post alongside Meghan and Abigail, Kelly thanked the actresses for 'supporting this campaign and our youth.'

'When we speak about the people in our lives who lift us up when you need it with undeniable force of pure love I think of these two,' she wrote.

She added that proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts 'support essential services, education, and advocacy so that young parents in foster care and their children can heal and thrive.' 

Meghan's support for her friend's campaign came less than a week after Kelly shared a glowing review the royal's new strawberry jam, released through her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.

After receiving an early limited edition jar, the charity boss wrote on social media: 'Oh Just a taste of what’s to come! So proud of you M.'

The friends also travelled to Utah together last month for a skiing holiday, reports the Daily Beast.

Meghan Markle (right) posed with her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer (left) to support their friend Kelly McKee Zajfen (center) in a new charity campaign 

The Duchess has experienced rumored rifts with her Suits co-stars and former BFF Jessica Mulroney, but many of her former pals still have close ties to each other 

While their friendship appears to be flourishing, Abigail's appearance in the promotion comes as those close to Meghan say she has all but lost contact with the rest of her former Suits co-stars.

Although Meghan's former colleague Sarah Rafferty previously described the cast as a 'family', Gina Torres recently claimed that no one on the show still has the Duchess' contact details.

At the Golden Globes in January, the actress - who played Jessica Pearson in the US drama - revealed the ex-castmates simply 'don't have her number' when asked if anyone had reached out to the former actress.

An interviewer asked: 'Who texted Meghan and said "you've gotta come to the Golden Globes, Meghan Markle".'

The star - who attended Harry and Meghan's 2018 wedding - said: 'We don't have her number. We just don't so. She'll see. She'll watch. She'll be happy that we're here.'

The following month, Patrick J Adams and Gabriel Macht - who played Mike and Harvey on the show - revealed they have also had 'no communication' from Meghan.