‘Top Gear’ Star Jeremy Clarkson Reveals ‘Aggressive’ Cancer Diagnosis - Variety

“Top Gear” host and British TV icon Jeremy Clarkson revealed that he’s been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of cancer. Variety Plus Icon Click to expand the Mega Menu Plus Icon Click to Expand Search Input Variety Plus Icon Read Next: Morning Scramble: NBA Finals Don’t Give ‘GMA’ Enough Bounce, ‘CBS Mornings’ Slips Once More Home TV News Jun 16, 2026 9:42pm PT ‘Top Gear’ Star Jeremy Clarkson Reveals ‘Aggressive’ Cancer Diagnosis “Top Gear” host and British TV icon Jeremy Clarkson revealed that he’s been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of cancer. During the final two episodes of “Clarkson’s Farm” Season 5, which are streaming on Prime Video, Clarkson told his co-stars Charlie Ireland and Kaleb Cooper, “I’ve got cancer.” Cooper, shocked, then asked Clarkson, “No, you haven’t. Where?” Clarkson replied, “Where it is is of no concern of anybody. I’ve known since May.” blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-variety-article-mid-article-uid0' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ) .setTargeting( 'viewable', 'yes' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("ros\/mid-article") .addSize(,,,,,,]) .setClsOptimization("minsize") ; }); Related Stories Donna Summer’s Music Catalog, Other Rights Acquired by Primary Wave (EXCLUSIVE) Music Industry Moves: Seeker Acquires Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde’s Publishing Catalog; 10K Projects Strikes JV With Runway Records; Daniel Glass Honored by Caron Treatment Centers Clarkson revealed the reason he “disappeared off the other week” was because he went to the doctor and “had a biopsy.” The doctor told him the cancer was “aggressive,” but luckily, he said, they caught it “really early.” Popular on Variety if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, } } }, playerId: 'fdaee7b3-292f-4a85-89bb-29a56b567de3', playlistId: '019eb8f5-8351-7af5-8dd4-29ad0d5ed821', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); }); } else { // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); } He added, “I’ll have to go and have an operation and then, the operation is in and out in no time, but your body’s out of action for a little while.” The show later showed Clarkson in a hospital bed, from where he said “Clarkson’s Farm” Season 5 started “with me in a hospital bed and we are at the end of Season 5 and I’m back in a hospital bed.” He explained that “some of the treatment” had “gone awry,” and that if his next round of treatment is “successful, I’ll see you for Season 6, and if it isn’t, I won’t.” Before “Clarkson’s Farm” aired the Season 5 finale, Clarkson posted a video on Instagram, warning his fans that the episodes were “really, really difficult.” For almost 20 years, Clarkson hosted “Top Gear” alongside Richard Hammond and James May. Airing on the BBC for 240 episodes from 2002 to 2022, the show followed the three hosts as they traveled around the world discussing exotic and sometimes bizarre automobiles. “Clarkson’s Farm,” which premiered on Prime Video in 2021, follows Clarkson as he tries to run a countryside farm with no prior experience.