Jeremy Clarkson has issued an apology after receiving immense backlash over his hateful comments about Meghan Markle.
The Grand Tour presenter was slammed after writing a column in which he admitted to ‘hating’ the Duchess of Sussex, and said he ‘dreamed’ of her being shamed in the streets of Britain while naked.
On Monday, he released a statement addressing the controversy, writing: ‘Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it.
‘In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people.’
He added: ‘I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future.’
Clarkson, 62, was referring to the famous scene in HBO series Game of Thrones, where Queen Cersei was forced to walk through the streets of King’s Landing completely naked in order to repent for her sins.
In his original piece, published by The Sun over the weekend, Clarkson said he despised Meghan, 41, on a ‘cellular level’ and a different type of hate he feels for First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and serial killer Rose West.
He wrote that he dreams of seeing people ‘throw[ing] lumps of excrement at her’.
‘At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and 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 penned.
It has since emerged that Clarkson’s column has sparked 6,000 complaints.
Ipso – the independent press standards organisation – confirmed thousands of people complained to the regulator, while the body told BBC that the complaints are being assessed in line with its standard procedure.
Clarkson’s daughter Emily, 28, was among the first to publicly condemn the accomplished broadcaster, writing in a social media post: ‘I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted with online hatred.’
Other celebrities have reacted in shock, with Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon saying on This Morning that Clarkson ‘needs to be muzzled’.
Former BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker said: ‘I get that it’s his job to provoke a response with his words but does Jeremy Clarkson, or indeed anyone, actually feel like this about Meghan Markle? There are so many red flags in here.’
Ex-Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman said: ‘NO Jeremy Clarkson. Not on any level, in any circumstance, is it ok to write this stuff about any woman.
‘And absolutely NO to “everyone who’s my age thinks the same”. No no no.
‘We absolutely do NOT think the same. Listen to the noise Jeremy. The crowds are chanting “shame on YOU”.’
