Amazon Prime Video may axe ties with Jeremy Clarkson and cancel both The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm because of the presenter’s comments about Meghan Markle according to a new report.
In a now infamous piece published in The Sun on December 16, Clarkson expressed his disdain towards Markle, saying that he was “dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame! and throw lumps of excrement at her.”
He swiftly published a brief apology on Twitter before taking to Instagram this week to publish a lengthier apology addressing the issue. He also revealed that he wrote to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, on Christmas Day and personally apologized for the comments he made.
Unnamed sources have now revealed to Variety that Amazon Prime Video won’t work with Clarkson beyond the seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm that have already been commissioned. It is claimed that The Grand Tour could end after four more special episodes, the last one of which is tipped to air in late 2024 or early 2025. Clarkson’s Farm could then be axed after Season 3 which should air in 2024.
Read: The Grand Tour Returns For A Rally Around Scandinavia In Latest Special
The controversy has already led to Amazon Prime Video canceling a virtual press conference for Clarkson’s Farm Season 2 that is scheduled to air on February 10. Variety, however, claims that Amazon has other shows in the works with Clarkson that are expected to go ahead. We’ve reached out to Amazon and Prime Video for a comment and will update this story when the company responds.
In his statement shared on Instagram, Clarkson said he was “putting my hands up” to apologize for the mistake.
“Usually, I read what I’ve written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I’d finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded.”
“It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it,” he continued. “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. In that precise moment when we suddenly realize we’ve completely messed up. You are sweaty and cold at the same time. And your head pounds. And you feel sick. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible.”
