Net Worth Ranker
What Is Jeremy Clarkson’s Net Worth?
Jeremy Clarkson, the renowned English television presenter, journalist, and writer, has amassed a considerable net worth of $70 million. This fortune is primarily attributed to his successful career in television, particularly his role as the host of “Top Gear” and “The Grand Tour,” along with his writing and various business ventures.
Sources of Jeremy Clarkson’s Wealth
Clarkson’s journey to a $70 million net worth began with humble origins. He was born on April 11, 1960, in Doncaster, England. His parents, Shirley and Edward Clarkson, initially struggled to afford private schooling for him. However, they found success by creating and selling Paddington Bear toys. After they were served with a cease and desist notice from the legal team of Paddington Bear’s creator, Michael Bond. Edward Clarkson went to London to meet with Bond’s lawyer, and met Bond in the elevator on the way to the meeting, and the two hit it off. Bond awarded the Clarksons the worldwide licensing rights to Paddington Bear, and the income from this paid for Jeremy’s schooling. He attended Repton School, where he was a classmate of future “Top Gear” Executive Producer Andy Wilman and Formula One engineer Adrian Newey.
His career started as a salesman for his parents’ Paddington Bears business. He then transitioned into journalism, writing for several newspapers, including the Rotherham Advertiser, Rochdale Observer, Wolverhampton Express and Star, and Shropshire Star. It was at the Shropshire Star where he first wrote about cars, starting with Peugeots and Fiats before advancing to Range Rovers and Ford Granadas. After seven years, he was finally allowed to drive an Aston Martin Lagonda. After ten years, he got the chance to drive his first Lamborghini. In 1984, he formed the Motoring Press Agency (MPA) with Jonathan Gill, conducting road tests for newspapers and car magazines.
Clarkson’s breakthrough came with “Top Gear.” He was the presenter/host of “Top Gear” in its original format from October 1988 to February 2000 and again from October 2002 to March 2015. His role in transforming “Top Gear” into BBC Two’s most-watched show significantly contributed to his income.
Beyond “Top Gear,” Clarkson has diversified his income streams through writing columns for The Sun, The Sunday Times, and the Toronto Star. He has also authored numerous books about cars and other subjects. From November 1998 to December 2000, he hosted a talk show called “Clarkson,” producing 27 half-hour episodes featuring interviews with musicians, politicians, and television personalities.
In 2007, Clarkson and co-host James May achieved the feat of being the first people to reach the North Pole in a car, as documented in “Top Gear: Polar Special.”
After being suspended by the BBC from “Top Gear” in March 2015 following a fight with one of the show’s producers, the chef had gone home, and what Clarkson was offered was all that was available, and his contract with the BBC expired at the end of March. On April 19, 2015, Clarkson revealed that two days before he hit Tymon, he had been told by his doctor that he might have cancer of the tongue, which turned out to be unfounded. In November 2015, Tymon sued Clarkson and the BBC for racial discrimination over the verbal abuse he received in the March incident. The following February, Clarkson formally apologized to Tymon and settled the racial discrimination and personal injury claim for $130,000.
On July 30, 2015, Amazon announced that Clarkson and his former “Top Gear” co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May would host a new show called “The Grand Tour.” The first season debuted on November 18, 2016. The series wrapped up its fourth season at the end of 2019.
Clarkson’s salary for “Top Gear” was $4 million per year. Owning 30% of the rights to “Top Gear” allowed him to earn an additional $7.5 – $13 million per year in dividends and bonuses from licensing deals, DVD sales, syndication, and merchandise. In 2013, the BBC bought out all outstanding stakes to take full control of the Top Gear Empire, which netted Clarkson roughly $21 million.
Jeremy Clarkson’s Assets and Investments
In 2012, Clarkson invested in real estate, purchasing a five-bedroom cottage on 312 acres in the Cotswolds for $5.5 million. In 2018, he demolished it on “The Grand Tour” and planned to build a six-bedroom, three-story mansion.
Clarkson’s passion for cars is reflected in his collection of luxury vehicles, including a Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE, Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser, Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG, Lotus Elise 111S, BMW M3 CSL, Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster, Ferrari F355, Aston Martin Virage, Lamborghini Gallardo, Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6, and McLaren 675LT.
Personal Life and Other Ventures
In 1989, Clarkson married Alex Hall, but she left him for one of his friends six months later. In May 1993, he married his manager, Frances Cain. They had three children. Cain filed for divorce in April 2014. In September 2010, Clarkson was granted a privacy injunction against his first wife to prevent her from publishing claims that their sexual relationship continued after he married Cain.
Clarkson is a fan of the progressive rock band Genesis. He attended the band’s 2007 reunion concert at London’s Twickenham Stadium and provided sleeve notes for the reissue of “Selling England by the Pound” as part of the “Genesis 1970-1975” box set.
