Jeremy Clarkson’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has been axed, after his “disgusting” comments about Meghan Markle.
In a piece written for The UK Sun in December, the former Top Gear host wrote that he “hates” the Duchess of Sussex “on a cellular level” and dreams of people throwing “excrement” at her in the street.
Jeremy also stated that he hates Meghan more than Rose West, the serial killer who collaborated with her husband Fred in the torture and murder of young women and children.
NO Jeremy Clarkson. Not on any level, in any circumstance, is it ok to write this stuff about any woman & 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" pic.twitter.com/OzCt9lHG16— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) December 18, 2022
The column sparked huge backlash, and was later deleted from The Sun’s website at Jeremy’s request. It also became the UK’s most complained about article ever.
Following the controversy, ITV boss Carolyn McCall has confirmed that the upcoming season of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, which is currently in production, will be Jeremy’ final series as the host.
Speaking after being awarded Variety’s International Media Woman of the Year, she explained: “We have a contract. We’re contracted to this [season], so we will do that. And then we have no future commitments.”
Carolyn also discussed the broadcaster’s “quick response” to Jeremy’s column.
She said: “There was no dissent internally. We came out much quicker than anybody else, Amazon included. We just came out said, ‘Yes, we do not endorse a single word that he said on that. And there’s no place for that on ITV.’”
“So we came out very quickly and just said, you know, that wasn’t on ITV. But we don’t endorse that in any way. And there’s no place for that on ITV.”
In a lengthy statement shared to Instagram, Jeremy admitted his language in the column had been “disgraceful” and said he was “profoundly sorry”.
He wrote: “One of the strange things I’ve noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologise for something, no matter how heartfelt or profound that apology may be, it’s never enough for the people who called for it in the first place.”
“So I’m going to try and buck the trend this morning with an apology for the things I said in a Sun column recently about Meghan Markle. I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. It’s a mea culpa with bells on.”
“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. 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 realise 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.”
Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ to End With Next Season, ‘No Future Commitments’ for More Work, Says ITV Boss https://t.co/7EsoRaaG2O
— Variety (@Variety) March 1, 2023
“I knew what had happened straight away. I’d been thinking of a scene in Games Of Thrones, but I’d forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan’s head.”
“I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism. I’m just not sexist and I abhor violence against women. And yet I seemed to be advocating just that,” he continued.
“I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me.”
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“The Sun quickly apologised and I tried to explain myself. But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime. More than 60 MPs demanded action to be taken. ITV, who make Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Amazon, who make the Farm Show and the Grand Tour, were incandescent.”
“I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I e-mailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too.”
“I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I’d used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry.”
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. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) December 19, 2022
“Over the last thirty years, I have written very nearly five thousand newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that one day, I’d do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the piece about Meghan.”
“So can I move on now? Not sure. It’s hard to be interesting and vigilant at the same time. You never hear peals of laughter coming from a health and safety seminar. But I promise you this, I will try.”
“Who knows? Very soon now I shall be a grandfather, so in future, maybe I’ll just write about that,” the statement concluded.
