Report: Firm of woman organizing Meghan’s Australia event ‘goes bust’

The PR woman organizing Meghan Markle’s comic-con-style appearance at an Australian ‘ultimate girls’ weekend’ has run into major financially difficulties after her PR agency went bust with a giant $500,000 tax bill, it was reported today.

Gemma O’Neill has been busily promoting a three-day event in Sydney where women pay £1,705 ($2,275) for a ‘VIP experience’ including a picture with the Duchess of Sussex over dinner.

Meghan, 44, is the headline guest at the inaugural ‘Her Best Life Retreat’, a seaside weekend organized by the events company Besties, founded by radio host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and her close friend O’Neill. 

But today it was reported in Australia that the talent agency owned by Gemma has collapsed owing more than half a million Australian dollars, mainly to the taxman. 

Pictured: Gemma O’Neill.

O’Neill says she cannot repay debts amid insolvency

She says she cannot pay her debts due to a lack of savings and her ‘limited income’.

Administrators were said to have been appointed after O’Neill’s talent management business, Gemmie Agency, went into voluntary liquidation in November. 

The firm owes $543,548 to the Australian Taxation Office, with another $3,300 owed to small business Jack Lawrence Accountants and Advisors, reports news.com.au. 

Besties Australia, organizers of the weekender being supported by Meghan in mid-April, are mentioned in the insolvency report. 

There was a loan of $18,143 made to Besties by the Gemmie Agency. Administrators have reportedly written to Ms O’Neill requesting ‘a detailed explanation of the balance of that loan’.

Just last month, on February 20, O’Neill reportedly informed the administrators she couldn’t make any repayment contributions, noting she has no available personal savings, limited income, and had failed to refinance her beachside apartment in Sydney.

Pictured: Jackie O pictured at Bills in Bondi with Gemma O’Neill.

Meghan set to headline event amid agency turmoil

On the same day her star client Jackie O, a well known broadcaster in Australia, had a public row with her KIIS FM radio partner, Kyle Sandilands, which led to to the duo being taken off air and their $100million contracts were torn up. 

Around a fortnight later Gemma and Jackie announced that Meghan would headline their £1,400 ($1,8k) ‘girls’ weekend’, where the former Suits star would deliver a gala dinner speech and pose for photos with paying VIP guests.

Up to 300 guests will be welcomed to the three-day luxury retreat in Sydney from April 17 to 19, during her trip to the country with the Duke of Sussex.

The deal was brokered by the ‘third wheel’ in her marriage to Prince Harry, Markus Anderson, who is a close friend of O’Neill’s.

Last night administrators from Grant Thornton Australia said in a creditors’ statement that the debts incurred by O’Neill’s agency were in stark contrast to a seven‑figure commission paid by an unnamed ‘key client’ between October 2023 and March 2024, according to news.com.au.

O’Neill reportedly is due to respond to the creditors report by today, Tuesday, March 17.

The Daily Mail has asked her to comment. 

Jackie O feud leads to show cancellation and legal battle

On the same day Gemma reportedly informed the administrators she couldn’t make any repayment contributions, February 20, her client and friend Jackie O was involved in a public spat Down Under.

She had fought with her KIIS FM radio partner, Kyle Sandilands, in an argument about her being ‘away with the fairies’, which later saw the duo taken off the airwaves permanently and their $100million contracts torn up.

The Kyle and Jackie O Show was officially axed 11 days later in a dramatic announcement by the radio station’s owner, ARN Media. 

Jackie O has now launched a wrongful termination suit against ARN, after she told executives she couldn’t ‘continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands’ following his harsh on‑air comments.

Pictured: Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O.

Gemma and Jackie’s joint venture, Besties Australia Pty Ltd, is also mentioned in the creditor’s report after it was revealed that a loan of $18,143 was made to the event business.

Besties Australia was registered by O’Neill in October 2022 in her role as director/secretary.

However, the report states O’Neill did not disclose any loans to related parties to GTA’s administrators.

‘The director (O’Neill) advised that this balance was incorrectly recorded by the Company’s former accountant and the transactions in the loan account were in respect of costs incurred by the Company, and not by Besties Australia,’ the report states.

The Daily Mail has contacted GTA’s appointed liquidator John McInerney for comment.

Pictured: Jackie O and Gwyneth Paltrow.

It comes just days after Besties Australia announced it will host Meghan at an exclusive three-day retreat in Sydney’s eastern suburbs next month.

Tickets to the retreat, which takes place from April 17 to 19 to coincide with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip Down Under, retail for around $3,000 for one person.

Gemma and Jackie launched their business, Besties Australia Pty Ltd, in October 2022, later hosting Gwyneth Paltrow at a ‘Besties’ event that drew a smaller-than-expected crowd.

Just as Meghan’s As Ever deal with Netflix ended, it emerged her close friend Markus Anderson has been credited with helping her secure the gig Down Under next month.

Fans can buy ‘VIP experience’ tickets for £1,705 ($3,199) that includes a ‘group table photo with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex‘ and the chance to hear her interviewed on stage during a two-night stay in a 5-star Sydney hotel. 

A gift bag will also be handed out – and there is speculation it could contain As Ever staples such as jam, flower sprinkles and candles. 

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