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John de Mol: Developed the concept of »The Voice«
Photo: ANP / IMAGO
Media producer John de Mol has come under criticism after allegations of sexual assault on the Dutch talent show The Voice of Holland became known.
Employees at his company Talpa accused the 66-year-old of blaming the victims themselves.
"Dear John.
It's not the women's fault,” they wrote in a full-page newspaper ad in the Algemeen Dagblad.
The media magnate De Mol had commented on the scandal for the first time the previous evening.
He said he was unaware of the many incidents and the women should have come forward.
“This behavior needs to be addressed”
The revelations of the grievances shocked the country.
More than seven million viewers had seen the program »Boos« (»angry«) on the public TV broadcaster BNNVARA.
In it, dozens of young women had reported assaults: lewd remarks, photos of private parts, touching, rape.
Prominent men from Dutch show business who held key positions on the show are accused.
Secretary of State for Media Gunay Uslu announced talks with de Mol and the TV stations.
"This behavior needs to be addressed," she said.
'It's really not the women.
Men have to take their responsibilities here.«
Talpa boss De Mol had said he hoped women learned from these incidents and that they would report it "if something like this happened to them again."
De Mol was the show's producer until the end of 2019 and had developed the TV format himself and sold it worldwide.
bbr/dpa