James May has responded to a viewer of The Grand Tour who took issue with a joke he made on the show.
The former Top Gear presenter initially appeared on a Grand Tour special in 2016, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond.
Their newest, Sand Job, was published last week and will be the series’ last episode.
It follows them as they go through the distant African country of Mauritania, following in the footsteps of the classic Paris-Dakar rally.
However, a joke made by James, 61, plainly enraged a fan, who commented on a recent post of the presenters on social media to express his disapproval.
Earlier this week James posted the following on X: ‘Now that Sand Job is out I can make the formal announcement that, I imagine, many of you have been expecting…
‘Yes, my Maser was the best looking by a desert mile. Deal with it,’ he added, referencing his Maserati.
However, one individual disputed a statement James made throughout the show.
‘You don’t want to live in Florida, it’s “hot and muggy and people there have gun”. People being free must be an issue with you. Kiss your crown,’ they wrote.
Seemingly baffled by the offended fan’s response to his joke about the US, James simply replied: ‘How am I less free?’
The offensive quip occurred midway during Sand Job, when he visited a nearby library while Jeremy and Richard went exploring.
While at the library, he was shown some antique manuscripts dating back centuries.
The tour guide who accompanied James informed the celebrity about an American visitor who wanted to acquire the manuscripts from the library.
‘He said an American tourist visited the library and he asked him to sell him the book,’ the tour guide shared.
‘Then he told him if he would sell it, he’s gonna give him a house in Florida, and he said no. It’s the legacy of his great-grandparents.’
Taking in what he just heard, James then quipped: ‘I think you did the right thing.
‘You don’t want a house in Florida. It’s all hot and sticky and full of people with guns.’
Last year, James replied to further personal insults after discussing accusations that he has a strong ego.
‘One or two people think I’m evil and very self-obsessed. Or that I have a “Do you know who I am?” attitude.
‘A lot of people claim to have met me or know somebody who knows me, when they obviously don’t, so I don’t let it worry me too much,’ he told The Times.
The Grand Tour: Sand Job is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.