Jeremy Clarkson sparks backlash by defending Piers Morgan and calling Meghan Markle a ‘silly little actress’

Jeremy Clarkson has sparked backlash after calling Meghan Markle a “silly little cable actress”.

Writing in his column in The Sun, the presenter defended Piers Morgan, who quit his role on Good Morning Britain following tens of thousands of Ofcom complaints about his remarks on Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

During the interview, Meghan spoke about her battle with mental health, including that she felt at times that she “didn’t want to live”. She also claimed that there were conversations within the Royal Family about her son Archie’s skin colour before he was born.

After the interview, Morgan said he “didn’t believe a word” Meghan said. The following day, he stormed off the GMB set live on air after GMB weatherman Alex Beresford took him to task about his comments on the duchess, telling him to “take a step back”.

At the time of writing, Morgan’s behaviour is the most complained about television moment in Ofcom’s history, with Meghan herself lodging one.

Clarkson said he believed that the Duchess of Sussex wouldn’t upset the monarchy’s standing as they have been through much worse, like “beheadings, affairs and abdications”, and that they will be able to withstand “the banal musings of a silly little cable actress”.

He added that Meghan is “much revered by the young and the stupid who believe that her brand of simpering victimhood will one day bring down the monarchy, but it won’t”.

He added that, when the furore has died down, “poor old Piers will realise that he lost his job over absolutely nothing at all.”

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It’s perhaps surprising that Clarkson jumped to the defence of Morgan - who he famously had a bust-up with in 2004. But, then again, Clarkson also lost his Top Gear job at the BBC in a high profile way following a “fracas” with a crew member... so maybe the two now share a bond.

His column did not go well on Twitter.

Here are some of the reactions.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.