The show’s pianist and band leader, Jeroen Rietbergen, quit over the weekend and issued a statement acknowledging his actions.
“During my years of involvement with The Voice of Holland I had contact of a sexual nature with some women involved in the program and exchanged sexually tinted WhatsApp messages,” he said in a statement to the RTL Boulevard entertainment news show.
He went on to say that after initially considering the encounters “as reciprocal and equal” he later came to understand that the women “may have experienced this very differently. This insight has made me realize that my behavior has been completely wrong.”
His statement also suggested the show’s producers had known about his actions and cautioned him in the past. Rietbergen’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment.
Rietbergen’s partner, Linda de Mol, said in a statement on her website that she split from Rietbergen after the scandal broke and was taking a break from her own television career.
RTL said it contacted the show’s producer ITV Studios which agreed to “immediately initiate a diligent, independent investigation.” The Dutch broadcaster said in a statement that “Participants, employees, everyone must be able to work in complete safety. There is no room for interpretation in this. The priority now is to get the facts on the table.”
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