Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, the rumors surrounding the often very outspoken and occasionally controversial Jeremy Clarkson have been hard to avoid. After he made several statements in The Sun about Meghan Markle, it is claimed that Amazon has chosen to cut ties with the car journalist and will thus also put an end to the two very popular programs Clarkson’s Farm and The Grand Tour after 2024. Something that has now created waves online and upset a lot of viewers.
The effect is not least visible on Twitter, where #IStandWithJeremyClarkson has trended and subscribers have begun canceling their Amazon Prime accounts in droves in response to the company’s alleged firing of Clarkson. Some of the comments that could be read online were:
“So Amazon has dropped Jeremy Clarkson. Well, I’ve just canceled my Amazon Prime account.”
“That’s my Amazon Prime canceled #IStandWithJeremyClarkson.”
“I see Amazon have suspended Jeremy Clarkson over his comments on Meghan Markle. I actually don’t have a strong opinion on that, nor am I a huge fan of Jeremy Clarkson. I do however, care about free speech”
“I have canceled my Prime membership after 3 years.”
Clarkson himself apologized after his remarks, writing the following Instagram:
“One of the strange things I’ve noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologize 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.”
However, it is not clear whether this had any effect and Amazon themselves have not chosen to make any official statement regarding the mess (yet). But according to Variety, Clarkson’s Farm will air through the third season, and the remaining special episodes of The Grand Tour will also air as scheduled. But beyond 2024, any kind of collaboration between Clarkson and Amazon will end.
Do you currently subscribe to Amazon Prime and if so do you plan to continue even if it turns out that Clarkson is indeed fired? Also what are your thoughts on all of this, does Clarkson have the right to speak his mind anyway without consequence and make Amazon right here?
