Jeremy Clarkson has apologized for comments he made about Meghan Markle in his newspaper column following widespread backlash, including criticism from his own daughter.
In an article for The Sun, the former Top Gear presenter spoke out about the Duchess of Sussex, which social media users described as ‘totally unacceptable’.
“I hate her,” Clarkson wrote. “Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her at a cellular level.”
She then wrote that she lies awake at night “dreaming of the day when she is paraded naked through the streets of every city in Britain while people chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at him,” claiming that “everyone my age thinks the same way.”
“But what makes me despair,” he added, “is that younger people, especially girls, think she’s very pretty.”
But after coming under fire for the comments, Clarkson tweeted an apology.
He said: “Oh dear. I’ve just put my foot down. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene from Game of Thrones and that has gone down well with a lot of people. I’m horrified that to have caused so much harm and I will be more careful in the future.”
Clarkson’s daughter Emily, who hosts the podcast Should I Delete That?, had taken to social media to condemn her father’s comments in his column.
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In an Instagram story, she said: “My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the media’s treatment of women.
“I want to make it very clear that I am against everything my father wrote about Meghan Markle and I stand in support of those who are the target of hate online.”
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In a tweet, TV presenter Carol Vorderman said: “NO Jeremy Clarkson. Under no circumstances, under any circumstances, is it okay to write these things about any woman and absolutely NOT to” everyone my age thinks the same “.
Comedian Jason Manford tweeted a photo of the column and said: “If you can defend Clarkson on this please don’t reply to me, stop following and blocking and move on. We will never agree.”
Walthamstow Co-op and Labor MP Stella Creasy tweeted in support of Meghan and advised users to speak to MPs: “The best response to the hatred Jeremy Clarkson and others promote towards women, especially those of color , it’s not the agonizing tweets. recognize by law as we do with other forms of hate the crimes it provokes. Channel your anger at his words to tell your MP to act.”
Radio DJ and TV presenter Edith Bowman wrote on Twitter: “How can anyone print such abusive comments in a real newspaper?”
Speaking to broadcasters on Monday, Ms Sturgeon said Clarkson’s comments about the duchess were “beyond the pale”.
“I think what he said about Meghan Markle was deeply misogynistic and frankly horrible and horrible,” he said.
“I have to say, stepping back, my overwhelming excitement about guys like Jeremy Clarkson is a shame.
“I mean, what makes someone so warped by hate that they end up writing these things?
“I think that possibly gives an idea of Jeremy Clarkson and the type of person he is.
“So maybe he just needs to step back from things and think about life a little more.”
Asked about the dispute, Chief Minister Rishi Sunak said, “For everyone in public life, language matters.”
Harry and Meghan have now released the final episodes of their six-part Netflix documentary. The Sussexes opened up about their experiences in the ‘institution’ and the difficulties they faced due to negative media coverage.