Jeremy Clarkson: Amazon ‘likely to part ways’ with presenter over Meghan column row
Amazon Prime Video is likely to cut ties with Jeremy Clarkson following the comments he made about the Duchess of Sussex in a newspaper column, according to reports.
The streaming service has worked with Clarkson since 2015, with the TV star hosting hit shows The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm.
Series two of Clarkson’s Farm will launch as planned in February, while the next series of The Grand Tour is still set to launch later in 2023.
However, as first reported by US entertainment site Variety, it is understood Amazon could stop working with the star beyond seasons of the shows that have already been commissioned.
It comes after Harry and Meghan dismissed an apology by Clarkson about The Sun column in which he said he “hated” the duchess, saying it was part of “a series of articles shared in hate”.
Clarkson wrote in his column, published in December as the couple shared their headline-grabbing Netflix documentary series, that he was “dreaming of the day when [Meghan] is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her”.
The remarks sparked a huge backlash, with Clarkson’s daughter Emily, as well as many others, speaking out against him.
As criticism grew, both Clarkson and The Sun apologised publicly – but Harry and Meghan rejected the newspaper’s apology, describing it as a “PR stunt”.
On Monday, a virtual press event to promote Clarkson’s Farm was cancelled as the star shared another apology on Instagram, revealing he had emailed Harry and Meghan on Christmas Day to say sorry personally.
However, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said the couple again rejected his apology and did not believe the article was a careless, isolated incident.
They also said that Clarkson “wrote solely to Prince Harry”.
Clarkson also hosts Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? on ITV
According to Variety sources, Amazon will no longer be working with Clarkson beyond seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm that are already set to air, meaning the star would not appear on shows on the Prime Video platform beyond 2024, or potentially early 2025.
Clarkson, who also presents ITV’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, admitted in his latest apology that both broadcasters were “incandescent” over his column.
Sky News has contacted both Amazon and ITV for comment.
What did Clarkson write?
The star’s column became the most complained about ever and was removed from The Sun’s website at his request, with the publisher also apologising.
“I hate her,” Clarkson wrote. “Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level.”
He then wrote that he lies awake at night “dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her”, claiming “everyone who’s my age thinks the same way”.
“But what makes me despair is that younger people, especially girls, think she’s pretty cool.”
Clarkson’s apology
In his latest statement, Clarkson expanded on his first apology and denied being sexist or misogynistic.
“It was a slow rumble to start with, and I ignored it,” he wrote on Instagram, referencing the backlash to his column. “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.
“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.
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“We never did ‘women can’t park’ gags for instance. Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men. And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest-ever laps in our reasonably-priced car. I’m just not sexist, and I abhor violence against women. And yet I seemed to be advocating just that.
“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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Clarkson added: “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 landmine exploded.
“I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then, on Christmas morning, I emailed 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.”
Netflix and Sesame Street have agreed a deal that will bring the children’s show to the streaming platform’s wider audience after President Trump cut federal funding for the free-to-air TV network Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Later this year, new episodes will be shown on Netflix as well as PBS and the PBS Kids app on the same day.
Select past episodes will be available on Netflix worldwide. No specific start date has been announced.
It comes after Warner Bros Discovery decided last year not to renew its deal for new episodes on HBO and Max, though episodes will remain on there until 2027.
That was followed by Donald Trump issuing an executive order earlier this month to block federal funding to PBS and the National Public Radio (NPR) network, because he believes their coverage is biased.
For the show’s 56th season, the episodes will revolve around one 11-minute story, Netflix said.
It will feature more exploration of the Sesame Street neighbourhood and also give a look inside 123 Sesame Street, which houses Elmo, Bert and Ernie, and others.
Sesame Street said on X: “We are excited to announce that all new Sesame Street episodes are coming to @netflix worldwide along with library episodes, and new episodes will also release the same day on @PBS Stations and @PBSKIDS platforms in the US, preserving a 50+ year relationship.
“The support of Netflix, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting serve as a unique public-private partnership to enable Sesame Street to continue to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.”
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Sesame Workshop said in a statement: “This unique public-private partnership will enable us to bring our research-based curriculum to young children around the world with Netflix’s global reach, while ensuring children in communities across the US continue to have free access on public television to the Sesame Street they love.”
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Sesame Street has won more than 200 Emmys in addition to Peabody awards, as well as a Kennedy Centre Honour for lifetime artistic achievement.
Entertainment
‘I recognise the error and upset caused’ – Gary Lineker releases statement as BBC departure confirmed
Gary Lineker has confirmed he is leaving the BBC after this season’s Match Of The Day and will no longer present its World Cup coverage.
It comes after the 64-year-old “apologised unreservedly” for sharing a social media post illustrated with a rat – which has been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda, including Nazi Germany.
Read more: A history of Gary Lineker’s most controversial posts
In a statement on Monday, Lineker said: “Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember – both on the pitch and in the studio.
“I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for.
“However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
Analysis: BBC can breathe easier after Lineker leaves
Lineker made no comment as he got into his car on Monday. Pic: PA
Lineker said he deleted the post when he learned about the rat’s symbolism, adding he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic”.
In a separate video posted to Instagram, the pundit added: “I’ve stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and against all forms of racism all of my life, including, of course, antisemitism, which I absolutely abhor.
“There’s no place for it and never should be.”
He went on to thank the “brilliant, talented” people he has worked with and described his relationship with the BBC as “long and wonderful”.
He added: “But it’s the right time for the organisation and myself to go our separate ways.”
Lineker’s last appearance on the BBC will be on Sunday 25 May, the final day of the season.
‘A defining voice in football coverage’
Also confirming Lineker’s exit, BBC director general Tim Davie said: “Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.
“Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades. His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism and earned him the respect of sports fans across the UK and beyond.
“We want to thank him for the contribution he has made.”
Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will share the role of presenting Match Of The Day. Pic BBC/PA
Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, said in an email sent to staff that it had been a “difficult” and “emotional” week.
He went on to say: “It is sad to be saying goodbye to such a brilliant broadcaster and I also want to thank Gary for his years of service. As ever, if you have questions, you know where I am.
“Let’s finish the season strongly with Gary’s final show, enjoy an incredible summer of sport and look forward with excitement to what lies ahead.”
Lineker announced in November he would step down from Match Of The Day this year, but was set to return to front the World Cup in 2026, as well as FA Cup coverage.
The former England star was temporarily suspended from the BBC in March 2023 after an impartiality row over comments he made criticising the then Conservative government’s asylum policy.
He will be replaced on Match Of The Day by Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman, who will share the presenting role from the next Premier League season.
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Lineker has hosted Match Of The Day since 1999 and has been the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent for seven consecutive years.
He joined the programme having started as a BBC Radio Five Live presenter, also working on the broadcaster’s former flagship sports show Grandstand during his early years in broadcasting.
The Leicester-born presenter is also the co-founder of podcast producing company Goalhanger, which makes the popular The Rest Is History series and its spin-offs about politics, football, entertainment and money.
His parting ways with the BBC also includes the licensing deal for Goalhanger podcast titles on BBC Sounds, which ends this year, the PA news agency reported.
Entertainment
BBC can breathe easier that fallout from Lineker’s social media won’t land at its door
Did having a social conscience force Gary Lineker off the BBC? Or was becoming increasingly vocal politically just too problematic?
The former England captain was given an exemption, as a freelancer working outside of news and current affairs, from impartiality rules the BBC’s staff have to abide by – despite being the broadcaster’s highest earner at £1.35m.
That meant he was even handed BBC primetime coverage recently, in which he critiqued the BBC’s coverage of the Middle East conflict, disputing the news side’s decision-making.
Silence on Gaza, he claimed, equates to complicity.
And Lineker has sought to show empathy with those suffering in Gaza and the mounting Palestinian death toll from IDF strikes, which Israel says are targeted at Hamas.
He has, however, faced accusations of inconsistency by being silent on other conflicts in Sudan and Yemen.
And also for showing little public concern for hostages taken by Hamas during the terror of 7 October – including Emily Damari, a fan of one of his former clubs, Tottenham Hotspur.
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Watch: Lineker confirms BBC exit
Highly-selective commentaries have been shared, often from fringe groups.
And then came last week’s rat emoji, which appeared on an anti-Zionist post shared on Instagram, which Lineker reposted and said he later deleted when he learned about the rat’s symbolism.
Images of rats have in the past been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda, including in Nazi Germany.
The incident produced an unprecedented apology from the ex-footballer, who said he was unaware of connotations offensive to Jewish people.
Read more:
Lineker releases statement as BBC departure confirmed
The BBC’s impartiality guidelines explained
A history of Gary Lineker’s most controversial posts
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker outside his home in London. Pic: PA
As BBC Director General Tim Davie said: “The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone, and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.”
The lack of public response from the BBC to Lineker’s apology made his future seem increasingly untenable.
Now, three decades broadcasting on the BBC will end under a cloud of controversy rather than celebration.
Lineker is even freer to give opinions – particularly through his podcast empire – and many do want to listen to him and welcome his status being used to highlight the plight of the besieged.
But the BBC can breathe easier knowing the fallout from social media posts won’t land at the corporation’s door.
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