The soap opera that is Top Gear takes more turns, now with news that the new stars of the BBC car show might hate each other already.
According to British tabloid The Sun, the relationship between Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc has disintegrated further following the Cenotaph controversy last month.
A source said: “Matt was never Chris’s choice — it was a decision forced upon him to attract the US market.
“He accepted it and was desperate to strike up a bond when they were filming, but the spark just wasn’t there. Since the Cenotaph, their relationship’s deteriorated. Chris thinks Matt severely damaged the brand.
“Behind the scenes it’s very frosty between them.”
On Wednesday, LeBlanc tweeted that he thought he and Evans were still “pals.”
I’m at war with @achrisevans ?
That’s funny , I thought we were pals.— Matt LeBlanc (@Matt_LeBlanc) April 13, 2016
For the past year, BBC’s Top Gear has been at the center of controversy since former host Jeremy Clarkson‘s assault on a producer and subsequent firing – and the resignation of the other two hosts as a result. The hiring of radio personality Chris Evans also raised eyebrows, but not as much as the announcement this year actor LeBlanc – best-known for his roles on comedies Friends and Episodes – would join Evans. The on-set tension between the two reportedly stems from Evans, who feels LeBlanc was hired simply to please American viewers.
While Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were never said to be the best of friends, they did have a chemistry on and off screen. And with the production of the rebooted Top Gear already bruised by production problems, the last thing the show needs is a deep feud going between the two stars before it reaches air or Netflix.
At least it has a name already.