The Voice of Holland was suspended from Dutch TV after a number of the show’s key employees were accused of sexual misconduct.
Among them was the reality show’s bandleader, Jeroen Rietbergen. He resigned immediately after it was announced that the show would no longer be aired on Dutch television, according to RTL Nieuws.
Rietbergen admitted in a statement that he’d had “relationships of sexual nature” with women involved in the programme and exchanged “sexually explicit WhatsApp messages” with them. However, he didn’t feel that he was in a position of power.
“I have now become very aware that my own perception is not relevant at all but it’s much more about the perception of the women concerned and these women may have experienced it very differently,” he said.
No surprise for the show creators
The sexual misconduct allegations were brought to light by BNNVARA’s programme called #BOOS (angry). RTL Nederland says it was not aware of the abuses and is now carrying out an independent investigation.
Rietbergen’s incidents happened years ago. But what makes the whole thing even worse is that the reality show makers knew about this all along.
The main creator of the show is John de Mol — the brother of Linda de Mol who has been in a romantic relationship with Rietbergen for over a decade.
Not just Rietbergen
Three of The Voice of Holland’s employees are currently being accused of sexual misconduct, one of them being the Dutch rapper and one of the show’s judges Ali B.
He announced in an Instagram post, however, that he is “100% convinced of his innocence”. “Ali has never abused his position and has never acted sexually transgressive,” said his management in a statement.
Reactions
Anouk, another one of The Voice of Holland judges, called the group a “corrupt gang” and said she would not be returning to the show. “I don’t want to work in a place where a number of men have abused their position and where it was deliberately decided to keep things quiet and look the other way.”
One of the show’s presenters, Martijn Krabbé, who’s been with The Voice of Holland since its beginnings in 2010, is completely in shock. Chantal Janzen, the other one of the two presenters, called this “outrageous, sad, and frustrating,” according to RTL Nieuws.
Other Dutch TV and radio personalities joined them to express their shock and disbelief.
The show’s main sponsor, T-mobile, immediately announced that it would turn off the money tap. “We disapprove of any form of transgressive behaviour and as a company, we expressly distance ourselves from this,” the company said in a statement.
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