And you’d be forgiven if you thought his response sounded a little familiar…
Yep, James is sticking to his script with the old ‘much as I think he’s a knob, I quite like working with Jeremy’ line.
But he also went on to describe his colleague's dismissal as 'a tragedy' and appeared to suggest that his time on the motoring show could also be over.
Speaking to Sky News outside his home, James told reporters: "I'm sorry that what ought to have been a small incident that could have been sorted out easily turned into something big.
"I don't really want to say anything more about it at the moment, I've only known for the past few minutes, and if you'll excuse me I very desperately have to write the eBay listing for my Ferrari."
When James was pressed as to whether 'Top Gear' could continue without Clarkson, he said: "I'm sure Top Gear will continue in some way, it existed before us... it's been reformatted several times."
Then, when he was asked if he would stay at 'Top Gear', he replied: "I don't want to talk about that too much but I think the three of us... as a package it works for very complicated reasons that a lot of people don't fully understand. That will require a lot of careful thought."
Meanwhile, Clarkson has already updated his Twitter bio to: “I used to be a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show,Top Gear.”
If you're looking for someone who doesn't mind being purposefully offensive, look no further than Katie Hopkins. The controversy magnet hits the headlines more often than all the Top Gear stars put together, normally because she's offended someone/a large group of people.
Nigel Farage(02 of11)
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You've suspended a pint-loving smoker who has his head stuck in the 1940s? Why not employ someone exactly the same person?Nigel Farage has virtually the same political views as Clarkson, so he'd probably be a good fit.
Vladimir Putin(03 of11)
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If you want someone with outdated ideas about their country's military might and an odd desire to look as masculine as possible, the Russian leader would be a good one to go for. Although he probably won't be free any time soon, he's probably going to be running the Kremlin until he dies.
Piers Morgan(04 of11)
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If you've ever seen one of Piers' epic Twitter spats with Clarkson, you'll know he's remarkably similar in many ways. The same fashion sense, a similarly punchable face, and all the rest of it.
Who better to take over from Clarkson's controversy-laden style than the man who brought us "rose-c***ed spectacles"?
Dapper Laughs(07 of11)
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Here's someone as offensive and widely hated as Clarkson, who'll undoubtedly make the same kind of unpleasant jokes just because he thinks they're funny. If maximum offensiveness is what you're going for, snap up the world's least funny comedian ASAP.
The veteran radio host's alter ego Steve Coogan is quite the petrol-head, having appeared on the show several times. But wouldn't it be great for the man from Norwich to take you around the Top Gear track whining about "POWERRRR" is his trademark nasal voice?
Kanye West(10 of11)
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Potentially the only ego bigger than Clarkson's.
Mr Blobby(11 of11)
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He'd certainly be more coherent than Clarkson at times. He's probably also a bit skinnier and a better driver.