Why Are Meghan Markle and Jared Kushner at the Same Wedding?

Two words: Jewish geography.

Misha Nonoo is the Jewish designer who is most likely the matchmaker that set up Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Mikey Hess is the grandson of Leon Hess, the Jewish founder of the oil company the Hess Corporation. Misha and Mikey are getting married in Rome today, September 20. There are many, many celebrities in attendance, including Katy Perry, James Corden, and lots of royalty. Also including one Meghan Markle, and one Jared Kushner.

Yes, Meghan Markle, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and Katy Perry are all somehow in the same place. No, we don’t like it either. Shall we dive in?

One, Misha and Meghan go way back. (Go read this profile on Misha by Caity Weaver at The New York Times.) They also just collaborated on a huge project for one of Meghan’s charities. Misha and Mikey attended the Royal Wedding in 2018 together.

 

Two, Mikey and Misha are part of a rich people friend group that includes Princess Beatrice (Prince Harry’s first cousin), Ellie Goulding, Karlie Kloss, and Josh Kushner. (Do all rich people know each other?!) This is fascinating for a few reasons: Notoriously private couple Karlie Kloss and Josh Kushner are very publicly friends with Mikey. (Here’s an Instagram from Karlie Kloss calling Mikey “some friends in life that become like family.”) Karlie Kloss and Josh Kushner, who both identify as liberal, have also tried to distance themselves from Josh’s brother and sister-in-law, Jared Kusher and Ivanka Trump, for obvious reasons. It’s not really working.

Three, Mikey Hess is in this 2016 U.S. Open photo (“the most interesting box at the U.S. Open”), featuring Ivanka and Jared, Karlie Kloss, Wendi Murdoch (entrepreneur and wife of News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch), and Princess Beatrice. (This is when Karlie and Ivanka were still publicly friends. Their relationship has since deteriorated. Wonder why!)

Four, Jewish billionaire David Geffen posts lots of photos from this group (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is in this one?! Also Karlie, Josh, and Mikey):

 

Five, all these people — except Ivanka and Jared — were also at Karlie Kloss and Josh Kushner’s second wedding. (Yes they had two weddings.) (Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher were also there.) (You can see Mikey in the last slide.)

In conclusion: It makes sense that Karlie and Josh are there for Mikey. And that Meghan and Prince Harry are there for Misha.

But the real question: Why Jared and Ivanka? Shouldn’t they be considered outcasts!? Markle is a feminist, definitely anti-Trump, and it would make sense that the women she considers herself closest to — like Misha — share her views.

But, maybe old friends trump that? (Trump Trump?) Jared is probably invited because Josh and Mikey are good friends — they went to Harvard for college and business school together — and then Mikey probably befriended Jared. Ivanka just happens to be there, too.

Anyway, mazel tov, Misha and Mikey! You have quite the friend group.

Image of Jared Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images; of Meghan by Samir Hussein/WireImage.

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