Jeremy Clarkson, a columnist for the British tabloid The Sun who has been known for his provocative remarks for years, sparked a heated controversy after a scathing column against Meghan Markle, in which he said he dreams of seeing a crowd spilling excrement throws at the Duchess of Sussex.
• Also read: Here Are 10 Shocking Quotes From The Harry And Meghan Documentary
• Also read: Meghan Markle speaks about suicidal thoughts
• Also read: Harry & Meghan: Jessica Mulroney breaks her silence on Instagram
Meghan Markle: “I hate her. (…) At night I cannot sleep and I lie there gnashing my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is paraded naked through the streets of every city in the United Kingdom while the crowd shouts “Shame!” and feces on him throw,” Jeremy Clarkson wrote in this article published Friday.
This column was published the day after the final episodes of the Harry and Meghan documentary aired on Netflix, in which the Sussexes notably accused the press of racism and wanted to “destroy” Meghan.
The columnist with an already sulphurous reputation has drawn a flood of outraged reactions.
Many figures, from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, strongly condemned Jeremy Clarkson’s comments.
Even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacted from Latvia, where he was traveling, saying that “words matter” when you are a public figure.
The British Press Officer (Ipso) said it had received more than 12,000 complaints.
After several days of controversy that continued to simmer, The Sun pulled the column from its website Monday afternoon, claiming it was doing so at the request of its author.
Jeremy Clarkson, 62, apologized on Twitter. “I made awkward references to (the series) Game of Thrones and it was badly received by a lot of people. I am appalled to have caused so much pain and will be more careful going forward,” he wrote.
In one of Game of Thrones’ most iconic sequences, a female character goes through the “walk of shame,” where she’s forced to walk the streets naked while people throw trash at her.
This isn’t the first time Jeremy Clarkson has made outrageous or provocative statements.
In 2015 he was ousted from the BBC show Top Gear after physically and verbally assaulting a producer. Previously, he had already triggered a lot of controversy with some racist departures.