‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ Ends in Wake of Scandal

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, with controversial host Jeremy Clarkson on ITV in the UK, has been canceled. According to Variety, the next season of the popular series will be its last on ITV, with producers opting to avoid the search for a new host. The news drops months after Clarkson first sparked scandal for his vile column against Meghan Markle, which has since led to him issuing a public apology for his words. 

The next season of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will be its last on ITV as there have been “no future commitments” in the works. Interestingly enough, shortly after this report was published, ITV clarified what was going on with the program. Even though you effectively won’t be seeing the series on your screens following the next season, it isn’t necessarily the end of the road for the show just yet. 

“There are no further commission commitments beyond that currently, as is typical with such shows where we make commissioning decisions on a series-by-series basis,” their statement read. “Therefore, for the avoidance of doubt, neither Who Wants to Be a Millionaire nor Jeremy Clarkson have been canceled.” Clarkson, who became the host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2018, also released a statement on his social media about the news, writing, “So many kind messages about today’s reports. But relax. Lisa and I have not split up and I have not been sacked as host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” 

It wouldn’t have come as too much of a shock if Clarkson had been “sacked” from the series. After all, he’s been losing out on opportunities in the wake of his recent scandal. The whole ordeal began in December when he penned a column for The Sun in which he wrote that he wished that the Duchess of Sussex would be made to parade naked with “lumps of excrement thrown at her.” He later attempted to explain himself by saying that he was referencing a scene from Game of Thrones. Since many did not take kindly to his excuse, he issued a public apology about a month after the scandal first made waves. 

“I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head,” he wrote. “This is me putting my hands up. It’s a mea culpa with bells on.” In light of his column (which was since pulled from The Sun), it was announced that Amazon Prime would not be moving forward with additional seasons of Clarkson’s The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm aside from the seasons that have already been commissioned.