Amazon Prime Video is set to part ways with Jeremy Clarkson in the wake of his comments about Meghan Markle, which were published in the British tabloid The Sun last month. According to a report by Variety, the streaming service intends to cut ties with the television presenter once seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm — which have already been commissioned — have been completed, which means Clarkson will most likely make his last appearance on Prime Video in either 2024, or 2025, depending on when the final Grand Tour special airs.
In Clarkson's column — written weekly for the publication — which was published on December 16th, he spoke negatively about the 'influence' he believed Markle held over her husband, Prince Harry, revealing that he "hated her on a cellular level." He followed this up by referring to a notorious scene from HBO's Game of Thrones, which involved Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister being dragged through the streets of King's Landing. “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.”
During an interview with ITV to promote his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry referred to the column as "horrific, hurtful, and cruel towards my wife. It also encourages other people around the U.K. and around the world, particularly men, to go and think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way.” Clarkson issued a brief apology days later for the column, stating: “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,” Clarkson continued in a tweeted statement. “I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in the future.”
However, he posted a lengthy statement on January 16th to his Instagram account, Clarkson revealed the streamer was "incandescent" about the remarks he made towards the royals, adding that “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.”
Clarkson, a controversial figure in the United Kingdom, had previously been mired in various scandals throughout his lengthy broadcasting career, which reached its nadir in 2015 when Clarkson's contract with the BBC — for whom he had worked for over two decades — was not renewed in the wake of news that he had punched one of the show's producers. As a result, the show also parted ways with Richard Hammond and James May, co-hosts of Top Gear for the network alongside Clarkson, costing the network both a huge sum of money due to the popularity of the show, as well as long-term viewers of the program.
Amazon swooped for the trio soon afterward to a three-series deal for a motoring program, which would be named The Grand Tour, and originally saw something of a Top Gear replica, complete with a studio audience and motoring segments, before transitioning to feature-length special episodes in various settings around the world.
The Grand Tour is now in its fifth and final season on Prime Video. You can view Clarkson's apology statement down below.