Has Jeremy Clarkson been dropped by Amazon Prime? What does it mean for The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm

Amazon Prime will reportedly be dropping former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson following comments he made about Meghan Markle on 16 December.

Reported by Variety, a source told the publication that the streaming service won’t be working alongside the presenter beyond seasons of “The Grand Tour” and “Clarkson’s Farm” that are already commissioned.

The news comes after Clarkson has issued an apology for comments he made about Meghan Markle in a column for The Sun. The presenter faced widespread backlash after he wrote that he hated Markle “on a cellular level” and wanted people to “throw lumps of excrement” at her.

So why is Jeremy Clarkson reportedly being dropped by Amazon Prime and what does this mean for “The Grand Tour” and “Clarkson’s Farm”? Here’s everything you need to know

Has Jeremy Clarkson been dropped by Amazon Prime?

A source has told Variety that Amazon Prime will not be working with the presenter beyond seasons for “The Grand Tour” and “Clarkson’s Farm” that have already been commissioned. Whilst sources have confirmed to Deadline that the plan to end the partnership “had been in the works for some time”.

Clarkson co-hosts “The Grand Tour” with former Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond and James May, whilst “Clarkson’s Farm” follows the TV presenter and his girlfriend Lisa Hogan as they work to establish a farm in Oxfordshire.

Amazon Prime has not publicly commented on the reports as of yet.

What does this mean for The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm?

If the reports that Clarkson is parting ways with Amazon Prime are true, this means that season 3 of “Clarkson’s Farm” and the upcoming season of “The Grand Tour” will be the last. Whilst seasons that have been commissioned are set to go ahead, it’s unlikely that there will be any new editions of his Amazon Prime shows available on the streaming platform after 2024.

What did Jeremy Clarkson say about Meghan Markle?

In an op-ed for The Sun which was published on Friday 16 December, Clarkson wrote that he hated Markle “on a cellular level” and wanted people to “throw lumps of excrement” at her.

In the column he said: “I hate her. Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level.” Adding: “At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her.” He then tried to justify his comments claiming that “everyone” his age “thinks the same way.”

Has he apologised?

Clarkson issued a statement on Instagram on Monday 16 January in which he admitted he was “really sorry” for the comments he had made about Markle in the Sun column.

In it he 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. It’s a mea culpa with bells on.”

Clarkson continued: “It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it. 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.”

Clakrson also revealed in the statement that he had emailed Prince Harry and Markle offering an apology. The TV presenter said: “I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then, on Christmas morning, I e-mailed 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.”