ITV has reportedly confirmed Jeremy Clarkson will remain as host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, despite fans threatening to boycott the broadcaster.
According to the Mirror, the 62-year-old ex Top Gear host will be part of the quiz show series when it resumes filming later this year.
A representative for ITV is alleged to have indicated to the tabloid that there was no change in the position on Mr Clarkson’s remarks last month about the Duchess of Sussex.
Will ITV ‘axe’ Jeremy Clarkson?
Clarkson claimed in a column for The Sun that he hated Meghan Markle on a “cellular level”.
However, Variety reports Amazon Prime may not work with the TV presenter beyond the seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm already commissioned.
And both reports come amid a grovelling apology from Clarkson.
He told fans on Instagram yesterday (Monday January 16) he was sorry “all the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head”.
The Sussexes responded by accusing the TV personality of writing articles “that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny”.
ITV issues statement over Clarkson’s future
Following the publication of Clarkson’s article, in which he wrote he wanted to see Meghan “paraded naked through the streets”, ITV boss Kevin Lygo indicated the channel had “no control” over what the host writes.
And, while Lygo said Clarkson would be retained, he also called on him to apologise.
Asked whether Mr Clarkson would stay on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, he said at the time: “Yes, at the moment we are. What he says in the papers we have no control of.”
However, in his Insta post yesterday, Clarkson noted his ITV and Amazon bosses were “incandescent” over the incident.
Amazon declined to comment to the Mirror.
ITV declined to comment.
Complaints from fans
Social media users expressed their fury over Clarkson – and insisted they will turn off if he continues in his game show position.
One Twitter user fumed: “If @ITV and @PrimeVideo continue to employ Jeremy Clarkson then the backlash I will garner in the boycotting of their channels will be off the scale #JeremyClarksonisDisgusting #jeremyclarkson.”
Someone else admitted they would be disadvantaged if they no longer watched the programme.
But they maintained boycotting the show would be a “matter of principle”.
There will be others like me.
“I have always enjoyed Who wants to be a Millionaire? and found Clarkson to be an engaging host,” they began.
“BUT I will never watch it again as long as he presents it. I know that I am only one person and I’m ‘cutting my nose to…’.
“But it is a matter of principle. There will be others like me.”
And someone else similarly tweeted out: “I for one will never watch an episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? while Clarkson is the presenter!”
Read more: Meghan and Harry issue shock ‘scathing’ response to Jeremy Clarkson’s apology
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