Another contestant from The Voice comes forward with sex harassment allegations

Nienke Wijnhoven said that Jeroen Rietbergen, musical director and ex of Linda de Mol, groped her when she was a contestant on The Voice of Holland in 2018. She told her story in program Beau on Monday.

Wijnhoven built up a friendly bond with Rietbergen during the series. At one point, he invited her to "see a studio from above" after a show. When she walked upstairs, there was no studio. "At that moment, he touches you, and you think: did I unconsciously give him signals? Wait, miscommunication. At that moment, you first blame yourself."

According to Wijnhoeven, Rietbergen felt her up a bit. She added that she found it difficult to share her story because she signed a contract that described all kinds of conditions that she could not remember exactly. "And I felt guilty because you're in a relationship, and you're like: did I cheat? Even though we didn't have sex."

Rietbergen released a statement this weekend in which he admitted that he crossed some lines. He also said that his "client" addressed him about it. It is unclear who that client is. Both RTL and producer ITV said they did not know about the sexually transgressive behavior. Creator and executive producer John de Mol also refrained from commenting. 

Johnny de Mol, son of John de Mol, said that he thinks his father probably knew about Rietbergen's behavior. "The executives knew about it. I assume he did too," Johnny said on his program HLF8 on Monday evening. He expects his father will release a statement on Thursday when program BOOS will discuss the events around The Voice. 

A report of sexually transgressive behavior and abuse of power was also filed against Ali B, a coach on The Voice of Holland.

On Saturday, RTL announced that it suspended the broadcast of The Voice of Holland pending investigation. The Voice Kids and The Voice Senior are also on hold indefinitely. "All brands around The Voice have been suspended until there is more clarity," a spokesperson for RTL confirmed to ANP when asked.

Ali B has also been a coach on the junior version of The Voice for many years. He has been involved in the program since 2016.

John de Mol's company Talpa said that it would make no further statements during the investigation into the incidents around The Voice of Holland. The media company will also not comment on Johnny de Mol's statements.