Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he is fearful about his own career as a columnist following the fatal shooting of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Mr Kirk, 31, was shot and killed on Wednesday (September 10) while he addressed a crowd at Utah Valley University, in what authorities called a political assassination.
The activist, who leaves behind a wife and two children, was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead.
His death was confirmed by US President Donald Trump, who he had long supported politically.
Videos posted to social media showed Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans: “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong”, before a single shot was fired.
Stunned spectators were heard gasping and screaming before people started to run away.
Reacting to the news, Clarkson, 64, posted online: “For the first time in my life, I’m genuinely frightened about being a newspaper columnist.”
The Clarkson’s Farm star began his career in journalism at the Rotherham Advertiser before going on to write for national titles.
He currently pens columns for both The Sun and The Sunday Times, with his work for the latter also syndicated in Australia, and is known for his outspoken opinions.
Mr Kirk, who founded the conservative student organisation Turning Point USA, was a high-profile supporter of Trump and a prominent voice within the US political right.
Trump recorded a video from the White House in which he called Mr Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” and blamed the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the killing.
Political figures in the UK spoke out against political violence following Mr Kirk’s death.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed his condolences online, adding: “My thoughts this evening are with the loved ones of Charlie Kirk.
“It is heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband.
“We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear – there can be no justification for political violence.”
My thoughts this evening are with the loved ones of Charlie Kirk.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 10, 2025
It is heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband.
We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear - there can be no justification for political violence.
Kim Leadbeater, whose sister Jo Cox was killed in 2016 when she was shot and stabbed by a neo-Nazi outside her constituency surgery a week before the EU referendum, wrote: “This is dreadful.
“Whatever our political views and differences, there is no place for violence in our politics.
“Tonight two children have lost their Dad. Devastating. We need a global reset on what we want our politics to look like.”
In a US press conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the attack was a “political assassination”.
Two people were detained on Wednesday, but neither was determined to have had any connection to the shooting and both have been released, Utah public safety officials said.
