Omroep MAX has already recorded the new season of Sterren op het Doek (Stars on Canvas) with presenter Özcan Akyol, according to producer Mediawater. Broadcaster Jan Slagter said on Monday that MAX is parting ways with Akyol, following his remarks about Matthijs van Nieuwkerk in Zomergasten (Summer Guests).
According to Mediawater, Omroep MAX will broadcast the recorded season this fall.
Slagter is angry with Akyol because, as a guest in Zomergasten, he did not apologize for his remarks about Van Nieuwkerk from a year and a half ago. Akyol said he had seen images of verbally transgressive behavior by Van Nieuwkerk, whom he did “not find so pleasant.” He did not share the footage.
In Zomergasten, Akyol was asked about it again. “Friends correct each other,” he responded. “That’s what friends do.”
“This man is not worth a snap of my fingers to me,” Slagter said on Monday in Shownieuws about Akyol. According to the broadcaster, the presenter owes his career to Van Nieuwkerk and his program De Wereld Draait Door (The World Keeps Turning).
Slagter therefore finds it incomprehensible that Akyol did not offer his apologies. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s done. We still have a contract with him, and we will serve it out properly.”
Unclear how long Akyol’s contract still runs
It is not known until when Akyol’s contract runs. The presenter and Slagter previously stated that they would no longer make statements about the matter.
MAX announced on Tuesday that Sterren op het Doek will continue as usual. The broadcaster was not available for questions about whether the next season concerns the already recorded season with Akyol.
In Sterren op het Doek, three artists make a painting of a famous Dutch person. Akyol has been presenting the program since 2019.