Jeremy Clarkson has said he feels scared to be a newspaper columnist following the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, the influential right-wing activist.
In a comment shortly after Kirk’s death was confirmed, Clarkson wrote on X/Twitter: “For the first time in my life, I’m genuinely frightened about being a newspaper columnist.”
An X user implored the former Top Gear presenter to stick to writing about cars, to which Clarkson replied: “But what if someone disagrees with my view that, say, the new M5 is a bit dull. Everyone is so angry all the time these days.”
The Clarkson’s Farm star writes weekly op-eds for Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun and The Sunday Times newspapers, where he is known for being deliberately provocative.
After Clarkson’s remark about being frightened to voice his views, some people pointed out that the presenter has often turned to violent imagery in his own prose. Clarkson’s supporters have defended his darkly comic humor, but he has expressed regret about his language in the past.
Most notably, Clarkson apologized after he used a 2022 column in The Sun to imagine a Game of Thrones-inspired scenario in which Meghan Markle was paraded naked through British towns being pelted with excrement.
In 2011, Clarkson apologized after he appeared on BBC1’s The One Show and said that he would have striking public sector workers “shot.” He added: “I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families.”
Piers Morgan was among the other British media personalities to speak out after Kirk’s death on Wednesday in Utah. “An appalling assault on free speech and democracy. Charlie always welcomed debate, with anyone. This is disgusting, and heart-breaking,” Morgan said.
Morgan later added: “Seeing so many clips/posts of supposedly ‘kind tolerant’ liberals gleefully celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder. They’re so utterly disgusting.”
The Turning Point USA founder was hailed by Donald Trump as being “loved and admired by all.” A manhunt is ongoing for Kirk’s killer.