Jeremy Clarkson responds to Will Young's claims that The Grand Tour is homophobic
The former ‘Pop Idol’ singer had criticised the show for joking about the gay community
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Your support makes all the difference.Jeremy Clarkson has apologised to Will Young after the singer claimed he and his fellow Grand Tour presenters made homophobic remarks on the Amazon Prime show.
For his column in The Sun, Clarkson wrote that he and Young were friends, joking that the former Pop Idol performer made a short video for his 50th birthday.
“But this week, he went berserk on Twitter, saying that I’d been homophobic in the most recent episode of The Grand Tour,” Clarkson continued.
“Many gay people who’d seen the show said they couldn’t see a problem. None of my leftie friends could either. One even said I should tell him to stop being so gay.
“I won’t do that though. And nor will I suggest, once again, that mobile phones should be fitted with breathalysers to stop people drinking and tweeting.”
Concluding the column, entitled: “I’m sorry and I’ll prove it”, Clarkson wrote: “No. Instead, I will apologise to Will for causing him some upset and reassure him that I know I’m not homophobic as I very much enjoy watching lesbians on the internet.”
Young said earlier this week he had reached out to the streaming service and Ofcom after becoming “fed up” with the motoring show.
He highlighted one instance in the then-latest episode, in which Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are driving through Colombia.
Referencing Clarkson’s Jeep Wrangler, Hammond suggests the vehicle is for gay people and, later, it is shown with a pink roof.
“Isn’t that a very popular car with the gay community?” Hammond asks, before suggesting Clarkson should update his outfit and grooming habits.
After watching the moment, Young wrote on Twitter: “It’s f***ing pathetic and actually homophobic. I mean being gay is just SO funny for those type of straight men.”
This is not the first time Clarkson, Hammond and May have been accused of homophobia.
In a 2016 episode of The Grand Tour, Hammond was condemned for saying he does not eat ice cream because he is “straight”.
And Clarkson was criticised in 2006 after calling a Daihatsu Copen “a bit gay” on an episode of Top Gear.
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