Director ‘The Voice of Holland’ denies allegations: “I am amicable, but that was never a problem”

In a broadcast of ‘Boos’, a YouTube program by Tim Hofman, there was extensive reporting last week about abuse in ‘The Voice of Holland’. A director of the TV program, among others, was accused of transgressive behavior by several candidates.

That director has now testified in Algemeen Dagblad. He did not see the accusations coming at all, he says in the Dutch newspaper. Not even when his own colleagues pointed it out to him just before the broadcast of ‘Angry’.

“If a boy or girl comes in who is very nervous, I grab that person and I say: Come on, you have to be on television”, it reads, among other things. “The funny thing is that twelve years ago nobody thought this was weird. Then you would get compliments on how good you were at your job. And now, especially when there are some younger people walking around, you hear: oh, she’s definitely going to bed with them. So unjust. Real. I just can’t reach it.”

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Hugs and compliments

The director says he does not recognize himself at all in the accusations, although he admits that he is “friendly” with candidates. He sometimes gives them a hug or compliments. “About their appearance, about their clothing. Then I say: wow you look beautiful. Of: wow, turn around. I do that to make them feel good. I’ve never had a problem with that.”

Although he says that “no one has complained about it at the moment”, he realizes that “in 2022” there are “apparently people who are getting this wrong”. “Not so much the people who ask for a hug, but the people who see it. They might say: he is too amicable. But it comes from a good heart, I want to make people feel good. Getting the best out of them. That has always worked and I think I am very good at it. But now it is probably too old-fashioned.”

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