Dutch singer Joost Klein kicked out of Eurovision Jury Show, but not yet the Final
Dutch musician Joost Klein was barred from taking part in the Jury Show at the Eurovision Song Contest on Friday night as the result of an altercation that took place earlier in the day. The musician representing the Netherlands in the competition may still be allowed to take part in the Grand Final in Malmo, Sweden on Saturday, according to AVROTROS, the media outlet with Eurovision broadcast rights in the Netherlands.
Details about the incident have not yet been released, but was first confirmed by event organizer European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The organization made the decision to suspend Klein moments before he was to take part in a dress rehearsal on Friday afternoon. "The investigation into the incident with the Dutch artist in this year's Eurovision Song Contest is still ongoing," the EBU wrote in an update.
"That means that Joost is not allowed to rehearse tonight because of the EBU. AVROTROS is in continuous discussions with the EBU," the Dutch media outlet said. A decision about whether Klein can participate further is pending as the situation remains under investigation.
"While the investigation continues the EBU has decided that Joost Klein will not perform during Dress Rehearsal 2 of the competition which is voted on by juries in the 37 participating countries," the EBU wrote. The Jury Show accounts for nearly half of all points awarded during the international competition. The jury will instead assess Klein's performance during the second semi-final round on Thursday, when the Dutch singer advanced to the finals.
According to Swedish broadcaster SVT, Klein physically assaulted a photographer or cameraperson, while Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported the person involved is a woman who works with the television production crew. It took several hours before AVROTROS announced that Klein was not going to be involved in the Jury Show.
A reporter for Aftonbladet caught up with Klein as he walked to an elevator wearing very dark sunglasses and Apple AirPods Max headphones. He ignored her attempts to get him to share his opinion about the circumstances, and only said, "Have a nice day." He then bowed as the elevator doors closed between them. Moments earlier, while reporting live from the media room at the Eurovision Song Contest, Dutch broadcaster NOS said the Dutch flags were removed from the artists' area.
Klein made news at the press conference shortly after the second Semi-Final, when he pressed Israel's Eden Golan to answer a reporter's question about security at the event. After Klein was told he could not participate in the afternoon dress rehearsal, Israeli television personality Dov Gil-Har posted a video on social media where he appeared to be trying to pester Klein to provoke a response from him.
