Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jeremy Clarkson says people should get vaccinated as he clarifies ‘if you die, you die’ Covid comments

Presenter accused the press of ‘s*** stirring’ with his comments

Isobel Lewis
Wednesday 04 August 2021 03:57 EDT
Comments
Clarkson attempts to move his 'sheeps'... with a drone

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jeremy Clarkson has clarified that he still thinks people should get vaccinated after facing backlash for his comments about coronavirus.

The former Top Gear presenter came under fire this week after he spoke out against Covid-19 lockdowns and “communist” scientists in a new interview with the Radio Times.

“When it started, I read up on pandemics and they tend to be four years long,” Clarkson said, adding that he believes we should “go through life with our fingers crossed and a smile on our face”.

He continued: “I can see Boris [Johnson] doesn’t want to open it up and shut us back down again. But if it’s going to be four years… and who knows, it could be 40 years. If it’s going to be for ever, let’s open it up and if you die, you die.”

After Clarkson was criticised for his “insensitive” comments, the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host attempted to set the record straight on Twitter yesterday (3 August), as he accused “silly left wing papers” of “s*** stirring”.

“What I said was that ‘IF WE HAVE COVID FOR EVER’ we are just going to have to open stuff up and accept that if we die, we die,” Clarkson wrote.

“If you really want to know what I think: get vaccinated. It’s not a government plot. Governments can’t even mend pot holes.”

While many were sceptical of his original comments, Clarkson’s followers praised his stance on vaccination.

“As simple as that. Get vaccinated, you don’t end up on a ventilator in hospital or worse if you get covid,” one wrote.

“For once I agree with you. This whole conspiracy theory has to stop. The science says it all. It will not track you or poison you. It may very well save your life. Get vaxed !!!!!” another wrote.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in