Jeremy Clarkson, columnist for the British tabloid The Sun, has been known for years for his outrageous outbursts. His latest provocation, which targeted the Duchess of Sussex, sparked heated controversy across the Channel. Meghan Markle, “I hate her. (…) At night, I can’t sleep and I lie there, gritting my teeth and dreaming of the day when she will be paraded naked through the streets of all the cities of the United Kingdom, while the crowds shout Shame ! and throw feces on him,” Jeremy Clarkson wrote in a Friday post.
This column was published the day after Netflix broadcast the last episodes of the Harry and Meghan documentary, in which the Sussexes notably accused the press of racism and of having wanted to “destroy” Meghan.
The columnist with an already sulphurous reputation has attracted a torrent of outraged reactions. From the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, many personalities strongly condemned Jeremy Clarkson’s remarks. Even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacted from Latvia where he was traveling, saying that “words are important” when you are a public person. The British press constable (Ipso) said it had received more than 12,000 complaints.
The columnist apologized on Twitter
After several days of a controversy that has continued to swell, The Sun withdrew the column from its website on Monday afternoon, claiming to do so at the request of its author. Jeremy Clarkson, 62, apologized on Twitter. “I made an awkward reference to (the series) Game of Thrones and it was taken badly by many people. I am horrified to have caused so much pain and will be more careful in the future,” he wrote.
In one of the most memorable sequences of “Game of Thrones”, a female character undergoes “the walk of shame”, during which she is forced to walk naked in the streets while people throw trash at her.
This is not the first time that Jeremy Clarkson has stood out for outrageous or provocative remarks. In 2015, he was ousted from the BBC show “Top Gear” after physically and verbally attacking a producer. Before that, he had already aroused many controversies with sometimes racist exits.