ITV bosses have said there is "no place" for Jeremy Clarkson's views on Meghan Markle on their channel, The Mirror reports. This follows the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host's public apology, with company CEO Carolyn McCall clarifying they do not "endorse" his views and will not "provide a platform for his opinions".
The former Top Gear presenter wrote a column for The Sun, in which he expressed a desire to see the Duchess of Sussex walk through the streets naked while being pelted with "excrement", and said that he hates her on a "cellular level". After receiving overwhelming criticism for the piece, Clarkson wrote a Christmas Day apology to the Sussexes, but the couple later revealed it was only addressed to Harry.
McCall addressed the issue amid questions if he will continue hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, as it is unclear if his contract will be removed.
In a statement to MP John Nicolson, that was published online by Deadline, she said: “ITV has no editorial control over Jeremy Clarkson's independent journalistic output in The Sun or anywhere else he chooses to publish. Everyone at ITV is very aware of our responsibilities as a Public Service Broadcaster and I'd like to be clear that the comments made were Jeremy Clarkson's own and are in no way endorsed by ITV."
Before she added: “There is no place on ITV for the comments made in that article.”
McCall infamously let go of former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan for his comments regarding Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
While the next series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is set to go ahead as planned, it is unclear unclear if Clarkson will continue hosting.
He has clarified his comments in the explosive column several times and suggested that the naked parade is a reference to the fantasy series, Game of Thrones. However, the lasting impact of his words leaves his future in the balance, as there are reports that Amazon will no longer produce and renew his series, The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm.
The 61-year-old posted a statement on Instagram yesterday addressing the column, writing: "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.
“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.”
He added: “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 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.”
He also revealed there were “calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime” while ITV and Amazon were “incandescent.”
Jeremy said his comments were “disgraceful” and he was “profoundly sorry” and he would “try” to move forward and be careful in “future columns.”
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