Jeremy Clarkson axed: Meghan Markle drama explained as Amazon reportedly cuts ties with presenter

Amazon Prime has reportedly axed English broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson after he made some controversial comments about Meghan Markle.

As per Variety, Prime will not work with the 62-year-old beyond the already-commissioned shows and seasons on the streaming service. So Clarkson might not appear on any new shows after 2024.

Clarkson currently appears on shows like The Grand Tour with Richard Hammond and James May, and Clarkson's Farm. The shows that are currently in the works will continue, and Clarkson's Farm will end its third series in 2024.

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What did Jeremy Clarkson say about Meghan Markle?

On December 8, 2022, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's documentary series Harry & Meghan was released on Netflix and garnered severe backlash from critics, including Jeremy Clarkson.

In an op-ed penned for The Sun, which has since been deleted, Clarkson made some vile comments (via CBS News) about the Suits actress, stating he lies awake at night:

"Grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she [Meghan] 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 also added that everyone in his age group "thinks the same way" and that her appeal to the younger generation who "think she was a prisoner of Buckingham Palace" made him "despair."

The Sun article received severe backlash, with over 20,000 complaints filed against it to the U.K.'s Independent Press Standards Organization, which is responsible for upholding the standards of newspapers and magazines.

On January 16, Jeremy Clarkson issued a statement via his Instagram handle addressing what went behind his controversial article and apologizing for the same.

He began his lengthy statement by sharing he usually reads his work to someone before submitting it, but for this particular article, he was in a hurry and home alone that day and had "just pressed send."

He shared that when the column appeared on the site the next day, "the landmine exploded."

He said that he was referring to a Game of Thrones scene while describing Meghan Markle but forgot to mention it in the article. Clarkson said he had been accused of all types of things except sexism and was very angry with himself over it.

"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 added that he had even sent Harry and Meghan an e-apology on Christmas morning.

"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."

As of this article's writing, Amazon has not officially announced severing ties with Jeremy Clarkson.