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British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson is facing serious backlash for a column he penned about his hatred for Meghan Markle — with thousands of readers, several political figures and his even own daughter declaring he went too far.
“I hate her. Not like I hate [Scottish First Minister] Nicola Sturgeon or [English serial killer’ Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level,” Clarkson wrote in a column on The Sun, published on Friday, December 16, about Meghan and Prince Harry’s six-part doucseries, Harry & Meghan.
In another section of the since-deleted article, Clarkson — who is known for hosting ITV’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Top Gear — referenced a famous scene from Game of Thrones, writing, “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.”
While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have yet to publicly comment on Clarkson’s comments, the couple were beyond candid about the British media in Harry & Meghan.
“My dad said to me, ‘Darling boy, you can’t take on the media. The media will always be the media.’ I said, ‘I disagree.’ I have 30 years’ experience of looking behind the curtain and seeing how this system works and how it runs,” Harry said during episode 4, recalling a conversation with his father, King Charles III. “I mean, just constant briefings about other members of the family, about favors, inviting the press in. It’s a dirty game. You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.”
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During the same episode, Meghan cited the way her private New York City baby shower was reported on in the U.K. as an example. “It was so wrong. These independent, strong, successful women choose to use their own money, and it’s not taxpayer money, to throw a party for their friend from a place of love. Why are you taking such a beautiful moment and trying to ruin it?” she asked.
The twosome also called out racist remarks made about Meghan during her time working for Queen Elizabeth II alongside Harry. (The twosome announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior roles in January 2020 and their exit was made permanent by early 2021.)
“At that time, I wasn’t thinking about how race played a part in any of this. I genuinely didn’t think about it,” Meghan said on episode 2 before recalling the “Harry’s new girl is (almost) straight outta Compton” headline. “Firstly, I’m not from Compton, I’ve never lived in Compton, so it’s factually incorrect,” she said. “But why do you have to make a dig at Compton?”
The former Suits star — who shares son Archie and daughter Lilibet with Harry — went on to get visibly emotional while talking about the hate that she’s experienced via social media.
“I think for people to really understand, you know, when you plant a seed that is so hateful, what it can grow into. I mean, just a couple of days ago, I was going through the manual for our security team at home, and on one of the pages that I happened to flip to, it was about online monitoring, and they’re like, ‘If you see a tweet like this, please report it to the head of security immediately.’ It just said, ‘Meghan just needs to die. Someone needs to kill her. Maybe it should be me,’” the duchess explained during episode 5. “I’m a mom. That’s my real life. And that’s the piece when you see it and you go, ‘You are making people want to kill me.’ … It’s not just some story. You are making me scared. … Looking down my hallway, like, ‘Are we safe? Are the doors locked? Is security on?’ That’s real. ‘Are my babies safe?’”
Clarkson, meanwhile, hasn’t apologized to Meghan, but tweeted on Monday, December 19, that he was “horrified” that his Game of Thrones reference “caused so much hurt.” The Sun has also deleted his story, adding a message that reads: “In light of Jeremy Clarkson’s tweet he has asked us to take last week’s column down.”
Scroll through for more on the controversy:
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
‘Top Gear’ Host Jeremy Clarkson’s Controversial Comments About Meghan Markle Explained: What to Know
British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson is facing serious backlash for a column he penned about his hatred for Meghan Markle — with thousands of readers, several political figures and his even own daughter declaring he went too far. “I hate her. Not like I hate [Scottish First Minister] Nicola Sturgeon or [English serial killer’ Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level,” Clarkson wrote in a column on The Sun, published on Friday, December 16, about Meghan and Prince Harry’s six-part doucseries, Harry & Meghan. In another section of the since-deleted article, Clarkson — who is known for hosting ITV’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Top Gear — referenced a famous scene from Game of Thrones, writing, “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.” While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have yet to publicly comment on Clarkson’s comments, the couple were beyond candid about the British media in Harry & Meghan. “My dad said to me, ‘Darling boy, you can’t take on the media. The media will always be the media.’ I said, ‘I disagree.’ I have 30 years’ experience of looking behind the curtain and seeing how this system works and how it runs,” Harry said during episode 4, recalling a conversation with his father, King Charles III. “I mean, just constant briefings about other members of the family, about favors, inviting the press in. It’s a dirty game. You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.” [jwplayer S65aMS8J-zhNYySv2] During the same episode, Meghan cited the way her private New York City baby shower was reported on in the U.K. as an example. “It was so wrong. These independent, strong, successful women choose to use their own money, and it’s not taxpayer money, to throw a party for their friend from a place of love. Why are you taking such a beautiful moment and trying to ruin it?” she asked. The twosome also called out racist remarks made about Meghan during her time working for Queen Elizabeth II alongside Harry. (The twosome announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior roles in January 2020 and their exit was made permanent by early 2021.) “At that time, I wasn’t thinking about how race played a part in any of this. I genuinely didn’t think about it,” Meghan said on episode 2 before recalling the “Harry’s new girl is (almost) straight outta Compton” headline. “Firstly, I’m not from Compton, I’ve never lived in Compton, so it’s factually incorrect,” she said. “But why do you have to make a dig at Compton?” The former Suits star — who shares son Archie and daughter Lilibet with Harry — went on to get visibly emotional while talking about the hate that she’s experienced via social media. “I think for people to really understand, you know, when you plant a seed that is so hateful, what it can grow into. I mean, just a couple of days ago, I was going through the manual for our security team at home, and on one of the pages that I happened to flip to, it was about online monitoring, and they’re like, ‘If you see a tweet like this, please report it to the head of security immediately.’ It just said, ‘Meghan just needs to die. Someone needs to kill her. Maybe it should be me,’” the duchess explained during episode 5. “I’m a mom. That’s my real life. And that’s the piece when you see it and you go, ‘You are making people want to kill me.’ … It’s not just some story. You are making me scared. … Looking down my hallway, like, ‘Are we safe? Are the doors locked? Is security on?’ That’s real. ‘Are my babies safe?’” Clarkson, meanwhile, hasn’t apologized to Meghan, but tweeted on Monday, December 19, that he was “horrified” that his Game of Thrones reference “caused so much hurt.” The Sun has also deleted his story, adding a message that reads: “In light of Jeremy Clarkson’s tweet he has asked us to take last week’s column down.” Scroll through for more on the controversy:
Credit: Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/Shutterstock
What Did Jeremy Clarkson Write About Meghan Markle?
Clarkson referenced a season 5 episode of Game of Thrones, in which Cersei (Lena Headey) was forced to do a nude “Walk of Atonement.”
“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,” Clarkson wrote in his column for The Sun, claiming that everyone who’s my age thinks the same way” about Meghan.
Credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock
The Backlash
BBC reports that more than 12,000 complaints have been filed to Ipso, the independent press standards organization over Clarkson’s words. By comparison, a total of 14,355 complaints were filed in all of 2021.
Sturgeon, who was referenced in the story as well, called Clarkson’s comments “downright awful and horrible,” telling The Times: “My overwhelming emotion about guys like Jeremy Clarkson is pity. I mean, what is it that makes somebody so distorted by hate that they end up writing these things? I think that possibly gives an insight into Jeremy Clarkson and the kind of person he is. So maybe he just needs to take a step back from things and just think about life a bit more.”
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also weighed in, tweeting, “As Jeremy Clarkson should well know – words have consequences. The words in his piece are no joke – they’re dangerous and inexcusable. We are in an epidemic of violence against women and girls and men with powerful voices must do better than this.”
John Nicolson, a Scottish journalist SNP Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire, has called for Clarkson to be taken off the air, declaring, “I have consistently defended freedom of the press. However, this has crossed a line.”
Credit: Courtesy of Emily Clarkson/Instagram
What Did Jeremy Clarkson Say About His Meghan Markle Story?
Clarkson’s daughter Emily slammed her father’s remarks on Sunday, December 18.
“My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media,” the podcast host wrote via Instagram Stories. “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.”
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How Is Queen Consort Camilla Associated With Jeremy Clarkson?
The palace has yet to comment on Harry & Meghan — or Clarkson’s comments. Charles’ wife, however, is being dragged into the mess as Clarkson was a guest at a lunch hosted by the queen consort just days before his column dropped. The twosome also reportedly crossed paths at a lunch attended by Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Piers Morgan this month.
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How Did Jeremy Clarkson Address His Meghan Markle Controversy?
“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 tweeted on December 19. “I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future.”
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How Did ‘The Sun’ Respond?
“Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher, we realize that with free expression comes responsibility,” the outlet wrote in its public apology published on December 23. “We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry.”
The British paper confirmed that the article has since been “removed from our website and archives,” noting that it has a “proud history of campaigning, from Help for Heroes to Jabs Army and Who Cares Wins, and over 50 years of working in partnership with charities.”
The statement concluded: “We will continue to campaign for good causes on behalf of our readers in 2023.”
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Did Meghan Markle Accept the Apology?
A spokesperson for the Bench author slammed the remorseful statement. “The fact that the Sun has not contacted The Duchess of Sussex to apologize shows their intent. This is nothing more than a PR stunt,” the representative said in a statement to The Guardian on December 24. “While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regrets for their dangerous comments, we wouldn’t be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to profit off of and exploit hate, violence and misogyny. A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”
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How Did Harry Respond?
Harry spoke to Tom Bradby about the article in a January 8 sit-down interview for UK broadcaster ITV. “Not only is what [Clarkson] said horrific and hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encourages other people around the UK and around the world, men particularly, to go and think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way,” the duke said.
He referred to Queen Consort Camilla’s recent speech advocating to end violence against women as well. “To use my stepmother’s words recently as well, there is a global pandemic of violence against women.”
The British expat added that he was disappointed Buckingham Palace didn’t issue a response to the inflammatory op-ed. “It’s no longer a case of me asking for accountability, but at this point, the world is asking for accountability and the world is asking for some form of comment from the monarchy. But the silence is deafening, to put it mildly,” he said.
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