Jeremy Clarkson breaks silence on apology to Meghan and Harry after calls to be ‘sacked’ | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV
Jeremy Clarkson has addressed his column in The Sun as the Grand Tour star took to Instagram to address the controversy again. The Clarkson’s Farm star has issued another apology as he explained he has also contacted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle directly.
It comes after the broadcaster sparked fury online after a column published by the presenter turned farmer say he wanted to see Meghan “parade naked through the streets of Britain” while “people chant”.
His comments sparked uproar with readers receiving in excess of 20,000 complaints to Ipso.
The piece was removed from The Sun’s website who issued an apology to the Duchess of Sussex over the publication of the piece.
Jeremy has now taken to social media and issued a lengthy apology to Meghan and admitted he regrets writing the column, adding his own daughter Emily Clarkson “denounced me”.
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“It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it. But then the rumble got louder. So I picked up a copy of The Sun to see what all the fuss was about. We’ve all been there I guess.”
He continued: “In that precise moment when we suddenly realise we’ve completely messed up.
“You are sweaty and cold at the same time. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible.”
The Clarkson’s Farm star said his intention was in reference to a scene from The Game of Thrones but added he had forgotten to mention this in his column.
He commented: “So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan’s head. I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism.
“We never did, ‘women can’t park gags for instance.’ Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men. And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest ever laps in our reasonably priced cars
Jeremy went on: “I’m just not sexist and I abhor violence against women. And yet I seemed to be advocating just that.
“I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me.
“The Sun quickly apologised, and I tried to explain myself. But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime. More than 60 MPs demanded action to be taken.
“ITV, who make Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and Amazon, who make the Farm Show, and the Grand Tour, were incandescent.
The Clarkson’s Farm star continued: “I therefore wrote to everyone works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I e-mailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too.
“I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but the language I’d used in the column was disgraceful and I’m profoundly sorry.”
Jeremy penned: “Over the last thirty years, I have written nearly five thousand newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that one day, I’d do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the peice about Meghan.
“So can I move on now? Not sure. It’s hard to be interesting and vigilant at the same time. You never hear peals of laughter coming from a health and safety seminar. But I promise you this, I will try.”
He finished: “Who knows? Very soon now I shall be a grandfather so in future, maybe I’ll just write about that.”
It has since been reported that Jeremy will not appear in future episodes of The Grand Tour.
According to Variety, the streaming service won’t be working with the TV personality beyond seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm that have already been commissioned.
This means that the Top Gear star won’t be appearing in any new shows on Prime Video beyond 2024.
Express.co.uk has contacted Jeremy Clarkson’s representatives for comment.
