Meghan Markle to Join Junior MasterChef Australia When It Returns in 2027
Meghan Markle will co-host Junior MasterChef Australia when the children's cooking competition returns to Channel 10 next year. The network announced the news on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, calling her a "special guest" on the new series.
The show is coming back after a six-year break. It will be presented alongside chef and presenter Poh Ling Yeow, according to Variety, which reported the news alongside the network's announcement. Paramount Australia & New Zealand's website also lists the return as its latest news, under the headline "Junior MasterChef Australia Returns to 10 in 2027, With Poh Ling Yeow And Special Guest Meghan, Duchess of Sussex."
Markle is no stranger to the MasterChef franchise. Earlier this year she appeared as a guest judge on the adult version of the show, and Variety reported that the episode drew the largest Sunday audience the show has had since 2023.
Her wider television work is on Netflix, where she hosts the lifestyle series With Love, Meghan. That series is one of several recent projects that have brought her into the cooking and home-entertaining space.
Junior MasterChef Australia is made by Endemol Shine Australia, which is part of Banijay Entertainment. Banijay Rights, the group's sales arm, distributes the format internationally, so the show can be sold to broadcasters in other countries.
For the people who work on it, a return means jobs. A series of this kind needs a full production team of producers, camera crews, set builders and food stylists, along with the young contestants and their families. The network has not said when filming will begin or when episodes will reach screens.
Co-hosting is a bigger role than guest judging. A guest judge appears for a single episode or a short run. A co-host presents across a series, so Markle's name will sit beside Poh Ling Yeow's for the whole season.
For viewers who remember the original run, the news is that the show is back on Channel 10 with a new presenting line-up. Anyone who wants to follow the return can watch for the premiere date, which the network is expected to announce closer to the launch.
