Singer Ellen ten Damme accuses Ali B of sexual misconduct
Singer Ellen ten Damme accused Ali B of sexual misconduct, saying she wanted to support women from The Voice of Holland who had previously come forward with allegations against the coach and rapper, as well as others involved in the show, according to AD.
Ten Damme said she was the victim of Ali B’s sexual misconduct eight years ago in Morocco, where they were recording for the music program “Ali B en de Muziekkaravaan.” The 54-year-old singer alluded to the event in a television broadcast on Friday evening and expanded on the subject in a podcast episode that was later cut.
Ten Damme told interviewer Özcan Akyol on the show "De Geknipte Gast" that she had had a “similar experience” to the women of The Voice, who came forward earlier this year with allegations of sexual and power abuse on the show. Although she did not mention the rapper’s name in the television interview, Ten Damme talked about the incident in an episode of the podcast “Aan de Keukentafel” last month.
The part of the podcast where Ten Damme mentioned Ali B was later edited out, but AD has the original recording. In it, the singer mentions a “story” about the rapper related to something that happened in Morocco.
“There is a story of mine that was not a secret at all and that I also told those around me at the time,” Ten Damme said on the episode, according to AD. “It’s about Ali B. I really think he's an asshole.”
Ten Damme said she was not sure how to respond to the event at the time. However, she has now made a statement to the police about the incident.
“You are confused and wondering: what am I supposed to do with this? And he acted like nothing was wrong,” she recalled on the podcast, according to AD.
The rapper Ali B acted as a coach on the television program The Voice of Holland. In January, an official complaint was filed against him for sexual misconduct.
In an interview with De Telegraaf, Ali B said he was innocent. "I am 100 percent convinced of my innocence. The allegation is about something that happened long ago and that is not true."
