Top Gear veteran Jeremy Clarkson slams his successor and Joe Rogan for saying the show faked his infamous Tesla review

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost ten years since Jeremy Clarkson’s punch on set gets him fired Since Top speedgiven the success of its partnership with Amazon through the contract which is due to be concluded soon The Grand Tour and its unscripted rural series Clarkson’s Farm. (The latter will return to the TV Schedule 2025 for season 4, despite Cancellation rumors fueled by his Meghan Markle comments.) Clarkson has a history of making statements about others, but he came to his own defense against one of them. Top speedThe most infamous segments.

Specifically, we’re talking about Elon Musk’s rather scathing critique of Tesla’s early electric cars, which appeared in a 2008 issue Top speed episode, and was subsequently the subject of a lawsuit brought against the BBC by billionaire investor Chris Harris, who was part Top speedThe 2016-2022 replacement crew appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience and accepted the host’s claims that the Tesla test (which later led to a lawsuit) was rigged, saying it was not an isolated situation either.

What Joe Rogan and Chris Harris Said About Top Gear

In the 2008 episode, Clarkson claimed that his brakes failed, his engine overheated, and his battery died when he reached 55 mph on the track. During his podcast episode, Joe Rogan outright stated that the show had pre-written this outcome and then filmed the segment to replicate it. In his own words:

They did a terrible thing. I talked to Musk about it and he was furious. They made it look like his car broke down and they did it for a skit. This was in the early days of Tesla, when Tesla just had this little tiny car that was actually a Lotus with an electric motor… And they got away with it, because it’s entertainment and they were allowed to create a script, and apparently somebody got their hands on the script and they read it before they even filmed it. And then the car breaks down, and then we have to figure out how it broke down.

While Rogan spoke with the confidence of someone who likely doesn’t have to worry about being sued for his remarks, Chris Harris was slightly more cautious about exactly how he phrased his response. That said, he still backed up Rogan’s claims that Top speedThe segments were predestined, saying:

I have to be careful what I say here, not to disappoint anyone. That’s the way these car shows are run. You end up reversing the outcome. They say, “This is what you’re going to find, this is what’s going to happen. All we need is your help to get us there.” Now, in reality TV, I can understand that. But if you’re reviewing a product that tens of thousands of people make and sell for a living…

Joe Rogan’s view was tied to his belief that Top speed gave an unfair assessment of Tesla’s electric cars during this very early period of the company’s history, and that the automaker’s reputation was damaged by what it sees as falsified judgments.

The important thing to remember here, however, is that Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against the BBC related to Top speedIn 2013, Tesla’s lawsuit against Clarkson’s on-air statements was dismissed, with the judge finding that the company’s reputation had not been damaged.

How Jeremy Clarkson responded to allegations that the show’s segments are scripted

Following Chris Harris’ release and publicity The Joe Rogan Experience appearance, Jeremy Clarkson took his column in The sun to denounce the claims made in the podcast episode. But rather than directly claiming that the two celebrities were telling stories, Clarkson’s article focused on the prevalence of urban myths throughout history, from “Vikings wearing horned helmets” to shady rumors about John Bonham.

After initially giving Harris credit for his article on Freddie Flintoff’s harrowing 2022 accident, Clarkson then turned to expressing his dismay at the idea that Top speedThe road tests were made, saying:

There are a lot of made-up stories about what happened when I was hosting Top Gear. People still believe, for example, that we used the number plate H982 FKL on purpose in Argentina. And in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. But it really hurts me when Joe and Chris perpetuate the myth that my Tesla test drive was unfair. And the fact is that Elon Musk took the BBC to court over it and lost. He also lost on appeal. I know no one believes me.

It’s not like Jeremy Clarkson spent years claiming that every single thing that happened in Top speed was 100% realistic and natural. (He’s already talked about the faked Reliant Robin stunt, for example.) But it’s clear that he considers reviews and road tests to be on another level of importance, as he continued:

Over the years we’ve upset and annoyed a lot of people on Top Gear. But our road tests have always been scrupulously fair.

Obviously, the idea of ”reality TV” has long been divorced from the concept of unmanufactured reality, with actors on shows like 90 Day Fiancé revealing supposedly rigged plots. But when it comes to seemingly objective criticism, the line between fact and fiction becomes all the more blurred.

The Grand Tour And Clarkson’s Farm can be streamed in full with a Amazon Prime Membershipand fans will find plenty of other shows to enjoy throughout the remainder of the TV Schedule 2024.