[Times column] Jeremy Clarkson: “Miami feels like the future, and the opposite of Britain” 🇺🇸
Posted by FlipStig1@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 114 comments
Jeremy Clarkson had such a good time celebrating his birthday in Miami that he was able make a column out of it once he returned home. In my view, perhaps he would think differently if he had to live full-time in Florida amongst the locals there. Here’s a preview:
“America is broken. San Francisco is awash with fentanyl enthusiasts who hang around on every street corner like an army of zombies, Minnesota is a hotbed of state theft, New York is being run by a full-on communist, and if you so much as step out of line for the briefest of moments, a government sponsored redneck with military trousers and an ICE hat will shoot you in the middle of your face. And on top of all this, there’s a president who thinks he’s Jesus. However, flying in the face of all this awfulness, there’s [Florida](https://www.thetimes.com/topic/florida), which by all accounts is not broken at all.”
(Usual disclaimers apply, especially since he’s focusing on the United States in this one.)
NotMyFirstChoice675@reddit
Breaking news, Man enjoyed holiday in the sun and warmth and now has to go back to boring life.
FrequentPrior5928@reddit
Florida is Dubai light. Almost as full on c**ts.
New-Special8963@reddit
Miami needs to start sinking faster than it already is
notlittlelad@reddit
acting like he didn't hate florida in the us special lmao
Zdos123@reddit
In all fairness, that epsode was 19 years ago.
kmfurdm@reddit
It hasn’t gotten better.
Spursdy@reddit
I will be slightly serious here. Florida has one of the fastest growing economies in the US over those 19 years and Miami is one of the most transformed cities.
Still Florida, but it is a very different place to 19 years ago.
kmfurdm@reddit
Transformed how? I read it floods a hell of a lot more often these days. And who cares if the economy is the fastest growing. Fairly meaningless metric for the majority of regular people these days. Money can’t buy taste or class. People flock there because they think “no income tax good”. Ignorant of the poor infrastructure, poor quality of education, absurd housing costs. Not to mention the crazy politicians running the place.
And the weather is overrated.
DjQuamme@reddit
But Jeremy has gotten 2 decades older.
hughk@reddit
He aged into the role...
Spekingur@reddit
Florida, right?
racsssss@reddit
Everybody's very fat, everybody's very stupid and everybody's very ruuude
madcheco@reddit
Not far off the UK in 2026 tbf
Choice-Ad6376@reddit
Dude fits in.
Roushfan5@reddit
So Clarkson ought to feel right at home.
ConnorK12@reddit
It’s not the holiday program, it’s the truth.
In fairness, I went to Florida back in 2023 and that quote of his stuck with all the time I was there. It was still true.
Roxysteve@reddit
My first impression of Miami was that none of the cab drivers spoke a word of English.
Terminal_Phase@reddit
Par for the course for Jeremy. We should all expect that.
He knocks things for the sake of the comedy bit in the moment. He never expects to be held to the opinion for longer than the 5 seconds he’s making a joke.
But, as an American, I have to say that the vast majority of Jeremy’s opinions on America and Americans are usually pretty spot on. Most of them he made in that first U.S. special.
Particularly: “I truly believe that in certain parts of America, people have started to mate with vegetables.”
ShaunM33@reddit
He said during the Burma special I think it was (or Nile) that the nicest place/room he'd stayed in, was South Beach Miami.
DrunkenButton@reddit
Just came back from South Beach, and did really enjoy it for the two days I was there. The architecture was gorgeous, and there were lots of things to see and do. I would visit again, but I don't think I would live there.
ShaunM33@reddit
Very nearly went this year for the Miami GP, bottled it and went for a European one instead. Yeah the architecture looks amazing from ive seen on TV etc.
NewRefrigerator7461@reddit
I looked it up after he said that - it was one of the places in mid beach thats changed hands a few times. Its no that surprising. The Faena is very nice and so are some of the boutiques in that area. It was indeed the Nile with all the white duck down
Sheeverton@reddit
That quote lost credibility with 'New York is run by a full of communist'.
Obviously everyone who is slightly right of centre is a nazi, and everyone who is slightly left of centre is a communist.
adamzep91@reddit
lol Florida sucks and I’ve always thought Miami is just Dubai of the USA.
Sedert1882@reddit
Sometimes I really wish Jeremy would not give his views on politics. I still love him dearly but I don't care to hear this much.
Affectionate_Code@reddit
He's always been a torrie and never been shy about it.
Toyobaru_86@reddit
I've noticed that the trio are weirdly obsessed with the USA. Clarkson can't stop referencing it despite him mocking it constantly, and May seems to spend quite a bit of time there under the guise of promoting his gin.
UsidoreTheLightBlue@reddit
In May’s case I assume some of it is he likes visiting California/has something to do there since it feels like he’s filming on the Santa Monica pier every time I turn around.
Exatraz@reddit
Mays vibe definitely gets with California.
redditandiscordadim@reddit
he is captain beach boy after all
Agitated_Display7573@reddit
If the trio were states, May would be California, Clarkson would be Florida and Hammond would be Texas
SoyMurcielago@reddit
And getting high apparently
NewRefrigerator7461@reddit
He really likes that about CA!
Terminal_Phase@reddit
May has stated many times that if he had to pick anywhere outside of Britain to live, it would be California.
He’s often said he feels very “at home” there.
NewRefrigerator7461@reddit
I mean I think it’s hard not to. It’s the 500lb gorilla in the room - whether you’re talking about cars or media. It’s just hard to ignore when it’s in the news all the time and is such a big market. I mean if you work for amazon you have to think about america a lot
Nightmare_Ives@reddit
Eh, if you are from the UK and you are trying to hawk some gin... are you going to try and go to China? Nah, the yanks will buy your crap lol
torero15@reddit
All I can say is words used to matter. Now you can just say shit and people nod or clap along even if it’s all a load of crap.
Lefthandedpigeon@reddit
A fat old boomer likes Florida? No way
ESCMalfunction@reddit
Well, there’s a lot to like about south Florida if your net worth is 8+ figures. Clarkson has always been a little bourgeois but I think he’s reached the point where a celebrity has been a celebrity too long and completely loses sight of what day to day life is like for the average person.
melancious@reddit
I wish his column wasn’t posted here
Drunkgummybear1@reddit
It annoys me how often I am reminded of just how much of a prick he is.
jorbeezy@reddit
Which truly gets to the heart of Clarkson, in general. Utter dinosaur POS who hasn’t got a clue about the state of the modern world, absolutely hilarious presenter and exceptional journalist.
LastTrainToLhasa@reddit
Why, he’s 100% right
rstar345@reddit
Then why doesn’t go live there then? Instead of sitting in the uk moaning about how bad it is
DaveAKACBG@reddit
Right-wing, yes
LastTrainToLhasa@reddit
He’s a human. He doesn’t have wings
MyManTheo@reddit
Mamdani described as a “full on communist” is hilarious
mauceri@reddit
He might be the first guy since Khrushchev to endorse state-run grocery stores...
Uptightgnome@reddit
This is just plainly false. There’s municipality and city-owned grocery stores in places like Kansas and even Florida itself
Evening-Ad5765@reddit
Always truth in humor. Zohan is a full blown communist.
MyManTheo@reddit
Explain
Evening-Ad5765@reddit
Self explanatory
rstar345@reddit
No explain
nitroretro@reddit
Too dumb to explain
elmagio@reddit
He's barely left of center you dimwit.
Evening-Ad5765@reddit
Yes you are a dimwit
ProEra-47-420@reddit
Well done for outting yourself as an utter idiot 👏🏻👏🏻
Redhawk911@reddit
He’s such a fucking idiot. Mamdani is just democratic socialist. Not even close to a communist.
-6h0st-@reddit
I would say plain stupid and ignorant
HotPotatoWithCheese@reddit
Got money ✅️
In his 70s ✅️
Conservative ✅️
Likes his cars ✅️
Paranoid about woke culture ✅️
Miami sounds about right for Clarkson.
Extension_Abies_1291@reddit
Miami the OF Capital of the US
Guyrbailey@reddit
"Miami is where Neon goes to die" Sir Stephen Fry
old_gold_mountain@reddit
Fry also said San Francisco was his favorite city, true mirror opposites
Extension_Abies_1291@reddit
Of Course, Fry would like San Francisco
Wgh555@reddit
Fry was literally my first thought when Miami was mentioned. He did his tour of America documentary about 20 years ago where he went to every state, and Miami was the only place he truly didn’t like, in fact hated. I see why.
NewRefrigerator7461@reddit
It’s the only city in the country where you meet people that are proud not to have jobs. It’s a weird culture. Ft. Lauderdale and Jupiter are fine though
SoyMurcielago@reddit
I live in florida and i see why too
I’ll go to Miami for things that i have no choice for but otherwise avoid it like the plague
RadioFieldCorner@reddit
This will trigger Reddit lol
Miami is a very, very anti-Reddit city. The typical Redditor would get slaughtered there. Everyone there is in obscene physical shape and condition.
It's an incredible city though, especially South Beach and Brickell. South Beach is basically a walk-able Manhattan.
ChimeMeUp@reddit
Of course he likes Florida, he's at the appropriate age for that
Terminal_Phase@reddit
And fatness
TexasBrett@reddit
“God, Florida is awful” - Jeremy Clarkson
MapDiscombobulated1@reddit
This is the bloke that "fixed" his broken handbrake/hill start problem by towing a log behind him that smashed his back window in.
I would imagine his quick and dirty appraisal of Florida contains one or two unconsidered "issues" too.
Relevant-Bullfrog215@reddit
Nothing says 'city of the future' like a coastal city built on rapidly dissolving limestone karst
Ben_Dover70@reddit
Isn't Florida one of the states most affected by fent and other hard drugs? Also, Florida man became infamous for a reason
Ok-disaster2022@reddit
Basically any place rural has problems with dirt usage and deaths. It comes from decades of manual labor causing pain conditions and then being prescribed opiates and getting addicted to pain killers then losing access to insurance and having to find alternates
sarcasticorange@reddit
Live in a rural area and most of the meth-heads around here are like 25.
On a national level the average age for first time meth use is 23 and the largest user age is 26 to 32.
Unfortunately, reality doesn't fit the "they are just good people that the system crushed" narrative because that would be easier to solve. Mostly, they are shitty people "raised" by shitty parents (more commonly, parent) and reinforced by shitty friends and relatives. They are taught to hate everything that would make their life better like education, responsibility, reliability, following rules, etc. Any attempt to better one's self is mocked and ridiculed. Teachers try to help, but they don't stand a chance against the stronger socialization factors.
Nightmare_Ives@reddit
As someone who lives in a rural area, it is still astounding to me the open contempt shown for education from even city council members and the school board. It's crazy.
NewRefrigerator7461@reddit
Its all those liberal textbooks trying to teach kids about other countries
sarcasticorange@reddit
Like crabs in a bucket. It is easier to pull people down than to put in the effort to climb out.
NewRefrigerator7461@reddit
Because of the sunshine laws?
UsidoreTheLightBlue@reddit
One of the highest number by total, not per capita. Per capita I don’t believe it even makes the top 10.
Sludge_Punk@reddit
I don't think he has any idea what he's talking about. He sounds as deranged as someone else
Uller85@reddit
Nope, that would be West Virginia.
NewRefrigerator7461@reddit
Every-time I’m in Miami or Tampa I run into a bunch of Brits - I can see why they like it.
It is an affordable state to live in with local government thats more competent and friendly than the northeast.
IranianAlan@reddit
Hows his farm doing I wonder?
Dependent-Interview2@reddit
Imagine being a self-professed intelligent 65+ year old and still not knowing what communism is...
Mind blowing.
No-Photograph3463@reddit
As he's written a column does that mean part of the cost of the trip can now be written off for tax purposes?
Always sad when you see Clarksons column as its usually utter bullshit that I'd be embarrassed to use as toilet paper. Guess he likes florida now he's a ridiculously rich, fat old bloke with questionable political beliefs....
Just wish he would do car reviews, farming and nothing else tbh.
EssOpie@reddit
By the future does he mean how much of Florida will be underwater in the next 50 or so years?
Infamous_Berry626@reddit
Please move there. All the best
Zaku99@reddit
Ah yes, because Jeremy has been to all these places to experience them first hand in the last year and anything less than a three-piece suited billionaire is a communist. Got it, got it.
TexasBrett@reddit
He’s basically right though. For like 99.99% of people, Florida is wonderful. Beaches, theme parks, restaurants, night life, etc. It’s great.
-6h0st-@reddit
You mean tourists or rich twats. Otherwise it is not.
SoyMurcielago@reddit
I live here and I’m neither rich nor a tourist
It’s got issues for sure but it’s hardly the hellscape that Reddit paints it as at least most of the time
-6h0st-@reddit
Of course people live in Florida. But we’re talking specifically about Miami. It’s just isn’t a world wonder he presents it to be. It might be though to tourists (like him) and rich people (like him).
TexasBrett@reddit
Reddit screams in anger. It’s not that bad. Touch grass.
Roushfan5@reddit
Yeah, it’s the only state with all those things.
Dcajunpimp@reddit
So he watched FOX News the whole time?
Beartato4772@reddit
Until you’re not a white millionaire man who could always afford healthcare of course.
Boundish91@reddit
Man has totally lost the plot.
Is he stupid?
Z32anxiety@reddit
I like Clarkson but not his politics. As a local his claims are utter bullshit, just recycled trickle down talking points. Far from helping everyone the influx of wealthy out of staters has driven up all our costs while salaries remain stagnant. People are being driven out of their homes by soaring insurance costs and property taxes. If you’re a bitcoin billionaire Miami is great but for an average worker it sucks.
bubbabear244@reddit
Sounds like Dubai glazing, but with less wars and more South Florida turning to climate induced Atlantic Ocean extension.
NineNinety4@reddit
Good lord this man is such a bleating buffoon. Stick to the cars fella. All he writes is drivel for the old and the brain damaged.
agracadabara@reddit
Jeremy, this is why you don’t go full retard!
pjbth@reddit
Thank God the wrapped up the show
SALTYP33T@reddit
Miami and South Florida life long native. Let me just say that Miami as a government is by far one of the most corrupt. Is it nice if you have money and access to boats cars and the most expensive seats at any event! yES and I’ll put it up against any city in the world. But we are a cesspool of fraud and waste…government overreach for building….the worst drivers (road rage and hit n run rampant)….expensive as hell and regally have religious level floods! With all of that said wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world.
Kolipe@reddit
So out of touch rich guy says things are great if you're rich. Cool.
SangriaMonster@reddit
Miami is full of people, at all walks of life, who are quite willing to do literally anything for money.
fartbraintank@reddit
Dr Jesus to you Jeremy.
itchygentleman@reddit
just drive the car, jezza
Important_Ruin@reddit
Clarkson is turning more and more into an insufferable boomer.
Throwing all the boomer buzzwords out, man shouting a clouds nearly.
MoeSzyslakMonobrow@reddit
He's obscenely rich and old, Florida caters to him.
buttersmoker@reddit
Jeremy Clarkson is not a man encumbered by the need for an opinion to be rounded and considered in order to be shared.
JoeSicko@reddit
He's got all the boomer buzzwords going there.
FlipStig1@reddit (OP)
For those wondering what it was like when Jeremy Clarkson last visited Miami with Richard Hammond and James May, here’s a short Top Gear clip of how that trip started! 😅😂