Jeremy Clarkson, the 65-year-old owner of Diddly Squat Farm and star of the popular Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, has spoken out with a heartfelt plea regarding the harmful impact of misinformation targeting his colleagues. In his recent column for The Sun, Clarkson condemned the spread of fake news fueled by manipulated images created using artificial intelligence, which has been causing significant stress among his farm team.
Among those affected, Clarkson highlighted farmhand Gerald Cooper as one of the hardest hit. Known to viewers as a beloved figure on the show, Gerald has been wrongfully subjected to false stories on social media, including baseless rumours that he had died. These fabrications are often accompanied by realistic but entirely doctored photographs, spreading confusion and worry among his family and fans alike.
Clarkson emphasized that these once-clever deepfakes — which have generated concerns worldwide for their potential abuse — are not limited to celebrity gossip but carry heavier personal repercussions. He specifically called out the practice of creating and sharing digitally nude images without consent, a problem serious enough that the UK government is moving toward legislation to criminalize such actions.
READ MORE: Heartfelt Tributes to 30 Beloved Individuals Remembered in Gloucestershire Death Notices
READ MORE: What Experts Avoid Buying in Supermarkets — Surprising Insights
Expressing his frustration, Clarkson stated: “There’s a lot of talk at the moment about how idiots with an AI tool on their phone can post pictures of girls they know without any clothes on. But that’s not the extent of the problem. On Facebook this week, we heard from just my farm alone that Gerald has died, Kaleb has had another kid, Lisa has left me, and I’ve broken my leg. All of the stories were accompanied by a completely realistic photograph. And all of them were complete nonsense.”
What concerns Clarkson most is the effect these lies have on Gerald, who is not used to public scrutiny and worries about the impact such falsehoods could have on his children. “Do I mind? Yes. Mostly because Gerald is unused to being in the public eye and it worries him that his kids see this kind of thing online. So whoever’s doing it, pack it in. And stop digitally removing clothes as well, you halfwits,” Clarkson implored.
This distress is not new. Prior to Christmas, Gerald’s health was the subject of similar false claims, which Jeremy’s partner Lisa Hogan had to publicly debunk. Gerald, who has bravely battled cancer recently, reassured fans by posting videos of himself dancing joyfully on Instagram, accompanied by a message dismissing the rumours as “really stupid and very mean.”
Clarkson’s emotional appeal sheds light on the darker side of AI technology misuse, urging respect and kindness toward those living their lives both in the public eye and beyond.