Streaming giant Amazon Prime is set to cut ties with Jeremy Clarkson following his widely-criticised column about Meghan Markle.
The former Top Gear presenter wrote in The Sun newspaper last month that he "hates" the Duchess of Sussex "on a cellular level" and wants her to be "paraded naked through the streets". The 62-year-old ranted in his now-deleted column that he "dreams of people throwing lumps of excrement at her" as he spoke about the former Suits actress.
According to Variety, the streaming platform will not be working with the TV star beyond the seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm already commissioned.
This means Clarkson's Farm will end with the third season, likely to be released in 2024, as well as one of Amazon's biggest shows The Grand Tour - which will conclude after four more special episodes late next year.
In a fresh apology made by Clarkson on Monday, he says Amazon was “incandescent” about his tirade against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
In a lengthy statement posted to his official Instagram on Monday afternoon, Clarkson said: "One of the strange things I've noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologise for something, no matter how heartfelt or profound that apology may be, it's never enough for the people who called for it in the first place.
"So I'm going to try and buck the trend this morning with an apology for the things I said in a Sun column recently about Meghan Markle. 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. Its 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 land mine exploded."
Following the immediate furore against his column, Clarkson released a statement saying he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt".
His recent apology comes a day ahead of a planned press conference for the new season of Clarkson’s Farm, which is due to launch next month. The TV personality's docuseries follows his efforts to run the 1,000-acre Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds.
During the promotion of his memoir Spare, Prince Harry condemned Clarkson's rant during his sit down interview with journalist Tom Bradby. He began: "When we’re talking about accountability, just recently, which I know you know about, the Jeremy Clarkson article…
"So not only was what he 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 Sun newspaper said at the time it regrets the publication of Clarkson’s column about Meghan and said it was ‘sincerely sorry’.
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