Jeremy Clarkson's Net Worth: How He Built His $70 Million Fortune.

What is Jeremy Clarkson's net worth and salary?

Jeremy Clarkson is a British TV host, journalist, and author with a net worth of $70 million. He’s most famous for being the face of the hugely popular car show "Top Gear," which regularly ranks among the most-watched shows globally.

Early Life

Jeremy Clarkson was born on April 11, 1960, in Doncaster, England, to his parents, Shirley and Edward. They had signed him up for private school long before he was even born, not really knowing how they would cover the costs. Just before he was set to start school, his parents crafted a couple of Paddington Bear toys for their kids, which turned out to be a hit.

They started selling them, but soon received a cease and desist order from the legal team of Paddington Bear's creator, Michael Bond. Edward Clarkson headed to London to talk to Bond's lawyer and ended up running into Bond in the elevator. They hit it off, and Bond granted the Clarksons the global licensing rights to Paddington Bear, which helped fund Jeremy's education.

Clarkson has mentioned that he faced a lot of bullying and was quite unhappy during his time at Repton School. Interestingly, he was there alongside former "Top Gear" Executive Producer Andy Wilman and Formula One engineer Adrian Newey. Eventually, he got expelled from Repton for several reasons.

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Career

He’s best known as the host of the hit car show "Top Gear," but his career actually kicked off selling Paddington Bears for his parents. After that, he dived into journalism, writing for several newspapers like the Rotherham Advertiser, Rochdale Observer, Wolverhampton Express and Star, and Shropshire Star.

It was at the Shropshire Star that he got his first taste of automotive writing, starting with Peugeots and Fiats before moving up to Range Rovers and Ford Granadas. After seven years, he finally got behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Lagonda, and ten years in, he drove his first Lamborghini.

In 1984, Clarkson launched the Motoring Press Agency (MPA) with fellow journalist Jonathan Gill, where they tested cars for various newspapers and magazines. He’s also been a regular contributor to Top Gear magazine since it started in 1993.

Clarkson is not just the face of "Top Gear"; he also pens columns for The Sun, The Sunday Times, and the Toronto Star. He’s authored several books on cars and a bunch of other topics too.

His big break on TV came when he hosted "Top Gear" in its original run from October 1988 to February 2000, and then again from October 2002 to March 2015. He’s pretty much the reason "Top Gear" became the most-watched show on BBC Two.

Besides that, Clarkson was the host of the first UK version of "Robot Wars." He also had his own talk show called "Clarkson" from November 1998 to December 2000, where he produced 27 episodes featuring interviews with musicians, politicians, and other celebs.

In 2007, Clarkson and his co-host James May made history by being the first to drive to the North Pole, which was featured in the "Top Gear: Polar Special."

Clarkson got suspended from "Top Gear" by the BBC in March 2015 after he had a physical altercation with one of the producers. He was really upset about being served soup and a cold meat platter while they were filming in Hawes, North Yorkshire, especially since the chef had already left for the day. That was all that was left for him to eat. Following the incident where Clarkson punched producer Oisin Tymon hard enough to need hospital treatment, the BBC decided not to air the next episode or the last two of the season.

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Clarkson's contract with the BBC ended in March, and they pulled back on a proposed three-year renewal. On April 19, 2015, Clarkson wrote in his Sunday Times column that just two days before the incident, his doctor had mentioned the possibility of tongue cancer. Luckily, it turned out he didn’t have cancer after all. In November 2015, Tymon filed a lawsuit against Clarkson and the BBC for racial discrimination due to the verbal abuse he faced during the March incident. The following February, Clarkson apologized to Tymon and settled the claims for $130,000.

On July 30, 2015, Amazon revealed that Clarkson, along with his old "Top Gear" buddies Richard Hammond and James May, would be launching a new show titled "The Grand Tour." The first season hit the screens on November 18, 2016, and the series concluded its fourth season by the end of 2019.

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Personal Life

In 1989, Clarkson tied the knot with Alex Hall, but just six months later, she left him for one of his buddies. By May 1993, he had married his manager, Frances Cain, and they welcomed three kids together. However, Cain filed for divorce in April 2014.

In September 2010, Clarkson got a privacy injunction against his first wife to stop her from claiming that their romantic relationship continued even after he married Cain.

Clarkson is a huge fan of the progressive rock band Genesis. He was at their reunion concert in 2007 at Twickenham Stadium in London. He even wrote sleeve notes for the reissue of "Selling England by the Pound" as part of the "Genesis 1970-1975" box set.

He has owned a bunch of luxury cars, 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, McLaren 675LT, and more.

Clarkson has a history of being pretty dismissive of the green movement. He’s even poked fun at organizations like Greenpeace, labeling them as "eco-mentalists" and suggesting they’re just a mix of "old trade unionists and CND lesbians." He’s also referred to wind farms as something that will eventually serve as a reminder of when humanity lost its mind, thinking that wind, waves, and a ton of tofu could actually produce enough electricity for everyone on Earth.

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Salary Highlights

Clarkson's Top Gear salary might seem low at $4 million a year, especially given the show's popularity. But don’t worry about Jeremy too much. He actually owned 30% of the rights to Top Gear, so he rakes in money from all sorts of things like licensing deals, DVD sales, syndication, and merchandise.

On top of his salary, he usually pulls in an extra $7.5 to $13 million annually from dividends and bonuses. In 2013, the BBC, which already had a 50% stake, decided to buy out the remaining shares to take full control of Top Gear. This deal brought Clarkson around $21 million.

Real Estate

In 2012, Clarkson snagged a five-bedroom cottage on 312 acres in the Cotswolds for $5.5 million. Fast forward to 2018, and he blew it up during an episode of "The Grand Tour." Once the debris was cleared away, he set his sights on constructing a six-bedroom, three-story mansion.

In 2019, Jeremy Clarkson grabbed attention when he bought a massive 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds, signaling a big change in his life. Famous for being a car lover and TV host, his leap into farming caught a lot of people off guard. The farm, which was pretty run-down before, became the focus of his Amazon Prime show, Clarkson's Farm, where he hilariously shares his ups and downs in trying to make it work.

With zero farming experience, Clarkson ran into all sorts of challenges, from dealing with farming rules to managing animals. His adventure, packed with wins and losses, has been celebrated for its humor, authenticity, and a real look at the struggles modern farmers face.

In conclusion, Jeremy Clarkson’s impressive career and ventures have solidified his place as a beloved and influential figure in entertainment. From revolutionizing Top Gear to embracing the challenges of farming in Clarkson's Farm, his versatility, humor, and authenticity have earned him widespread admiration.

With a net worth of $70 million, Clarkson continues to captivate audiences with his bold and often unconventional approach to life, ensuring his legacy as a multifaceted and enduring entertainer. Whether on screen, in print, or on the farm, Clarkson’s charisma and candidness remain key to his success.

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