The Voice of Holland suspended as sexual and power abuse allegations surface
RTL temporarily canceled the television show the Voice of Holland due to allegations of sexually transgressive behavior and abuse of power by personnel connected to the show. Shortly after the announcement Saturday morning, it was revealed that composer and keyboardist Jeroen Rietbergen would leave the program with immediate effect. The Public Prosecution Service also confirmed that a criminal complaint connected to a person on the show was filed this week.
The editorial team of the BNNVARA program BOOS informed RTL on Wednesday of the incidents RTL said that The Voice of Holland will not air while the allegations are being investigated. "The allegations are very serious and shocking and were not known to RTL," the broadcaster stated in a press release.
“This Saturday, the editors received a confession and apology from the band leader of The Voice, Jeroen Rietbergen. He announced that he will stop his work at The Voice immediately,” BNNVARA wrote in its own press release. “The Voice of Holland has stated that it was not aware of these abuses and has decided to conduct an independent investigation.”
Dutch singer Marco Borsato was also the subject of allegations about sexually transgressive behavior late last year. Borsato was also a coach on The Voice of Holland from 2011-2015. Rietbergen worked with Borsato for several years over the past two decades. Rietbergen was also previously in a relationship with Linda de Mol, the sister of The Voice creator John de Mol.
The television show which uncovered the claims, BOOS, said that the episode detailing their investigation will air next week. "We put a huge amount of time and effort into the program. Our show about The Voice of Holland will be broadcast coming Thursday," said BOOS program director Tim Hofman on Twitter.
Hofman began his investigation into power and sexual abuse claims in talent scouting shows in August. During his research, Hofman received information from people who said they experienced sexually transgressive behavior while on The Voice of Holland.
Television producer ITV reacted to the allegations stating, "Our highest priority is to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone who participates and works on our shows. ITV Studios has a zero-tolerance policy towards the kind of behavior that is said to have taken place. We have immediately ordered an outside investigation."
