The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) in the UK has received more than 6,000 complaints over an article written by Jeremy Clarkson about Meghan Markle.
In the article, written for The Sun, the 62-year-old wrote that he “hates” the Duchess of Sussex “on a cellular level” and dreams of people throwing “excrement” at her in the street.
The former Top Gear star also said 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
He added: “Everyone who’s my age thinks the same way.”
A spokesperson for Ipso said that the regulator had received over 6,000 complaints about Jeremy’s article as of midday on Monday, and that the number was subject to change.
He confirmed that the number is almost half the total number of complaints the UK media regulator received last year (Ipso received a total of 14,355 complaints in 2021).
Jeremy’s comments, written in The Sun last Friday in response to the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, have been branded “vile and disgusting”.
Countdown star Carol Vorderman tweeted: “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’.”
Comedian John Bishop wrote: “WTF is this ?? I don’t care who you are or who you work for you simply can not write things like this. It is a blatant appeal to incite humiliation and violence on a woman.”
“Some have excused it as dark humour. There is no joke here @JeremyClarkson and no excuse.”
Comedian Dom Joly tweeted: “Literally gobsmacked at the utterly vile and disgusting comments written about Meghan Markle by Jeremy Clarkson in the Sun. What an utter piece of trash he is…what is it with these type of men that triggers them so?”
WTF is this ??
I don't care who you are or who you work for you simply can not write things like this. It is a blatant appeal to incite humiliation and violence on a woman. Some have excused it as dark humour. There is mo joke here @JeremyClarkson and no excuse. https://t.co/ewU8bnykhj— John Bishop (@JohnBishop100) December 18, 2022
Literally gobsmacked at the utterly vile and disgusting comments written about Meghan Markle by Jeremy Clarkson in the Sun. What an utter piece of trash he is…what is it with these type of men that triggers them so? pic.twitter.com/iLpzIilTlm
— Dom Joly (@domjoly) December 18, 2022
Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon amid the backlash, Jeremy wrote: “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.”
The Game of Thrones scene Jeremy was supposedly referring to was Cersei Lannister’s infamous walk of shame scene, in which the character had to strip naked and walk through the streets of King’s Landing while being jeered at by the peasants.
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
