Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Jeremy Clarkson’s farmer sidekick Kaleb Cooper is now a millionaire after finding success on the Amazon show Clarkson’s Farm.
Cooper, 26, rose to prominence in 2021 after Clarkson purchased the Diddly Squat farm in Chipping Norton, where Cooper already worked under the previous owner.
Cooper was kept on by Clarkson and quickly became his right-hand man as he showed the Top Gear star the ropes of running a working farm.
According to account filed on 5 March, Kaleb Cooper Productions, the company that takes his earnings from the series, reported £960,000 in assets before bills, including £400,000 in cash.
He set up his TV company in 2021 and runs it alongside farming businesses K Cooper Contracting and K Cooper Holdings, with combined profits amounting to £100,000, meaning Cooper has now made his first million.
Cooper has been basking in the success of the Amazon programme – last year, he took his solo live show about his life, called The World According to Caleb, on tour around the UK. He has also written several books, including It’s a Farming Thing, Britain According to Kaleb and The World According to Kaleb.
Kaleb had previously revealed that he was earning just 50 pence an hour due to the unpredictable nature of farming costs and profit margins.
In 2022, he said: “When I’m working for myself when I’m feeding my calves in the morning – I bought eight calves. It’s like a little bit of a new business idea that I’m doing, buying calves in and then feed them on milk, which costs me about £200 a calf, then selling them at nine months.”
He added: “I’m trying to get a profit and see if it will work. I worked it out the other day, do you know how much my hourly rate is, how much I pay myself? 50p an hour.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
However, since being featured on Clarkson’s show, Cooper’s farming skills have been recognised by the nation. Clarkson previously praised the farmer as “the hardest working person I know” and pointed out that Cooper sometimes worked 18 hours a day with no days off.
Cooper, who shares two children – Oscar, three, and Willa, one – with fiancée Taya, previously revealed that his life ambition is to own a farm. The pair announced in February that they were expecting their third child together in August.
Cooper wrote online: “Very excited to announce that baby Cooper number 3 is cooking…. Going to be a very very busy August.”
The fourth series of Clarkson’s Farm, Prime Video’s most-streamed show, is currently in production, with a fifth also greenlit.
A key part of the show is the banter between Cooper and Clarkson, who constantly bicker over the decision-making at the Diddly Squat farm.
Speaking about their dynamic, Cooper previously told PA media: “Our chemistry is completely natural. We’re really good friends, apart from the arguing – we may stop talking to each other for a day or two after our argument, but that’s completely normal, we’re used to that.”
“Eventually, we come together and have a cup of tea and we’re fine again, we keep talking about farming.”
