Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are (to put it mildly) overexposed in the U.S. at this point, but that hasn’t stopped Harry’s book sales from reaching record-setting heights. That’s only bound to upset their critics even more, including Piers Morgan, who was so excited to trash their Netflix show that he spent his wife’s birthday hate-watching and tweeting about the bland production. In fact, that show was so uneventful that it’s remarkable how much vitriol it inspires, and that’s where former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson comes into this story.
Recently, Clarkson penned a column for The Sun, in which he confessed, “I hate her on a cellular level.” He was also “dreaming” of a scenario when Meghan would be stripped naked and forced to walk through the streets (as people toss excrement) like Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones Season 5. Naturally, this did not go over well with readers describing the column as “vile” in the course of 6,000 complaints to England’s press regulator.
Prince Harry quickly spoke out against the column, and Clarkson has insisted that he sent a Christmas Day letter to the Sussexes, to whom he is “profoundly sorry.” That hasn’t stopped the tide against Clarkson. On Monday, Variety reported that two of Clarkson’s Amazon shows were about to receive the ax:
Sources tell Variety that the streaming service won’t be working with Clarkson beyond seasons of “The Grand Tour” and “Clarkson’s Farm” that have already been commissioned. This means that the notorious “Top Gear” presenter likely won’t be appearing in any new shows on Prime Video beyond 2024 (though there’s every chance a final “Grand Tour” episode could carry over into 2025).
Variety notes that Amazon/Prime Video declined to speak on the subject, although a previously scheduled Clarkson’s Farm press conference has been shelved as of Monday evening. That event was due to happen on Tuesday and had been on the books prior to the GoT reference, although it remains to be seen whether the show cancellations do in fact occur. Following Variety‘s initial report, Clarkson did make another public apology, “a mea culpa with bells on.”
Read his Instagram post below.
(Via Variety)