Jan Slagter, the head of Omroep MAX, says he will not extend presenter Özcan Akyol’s contract on Monday. The reason is an interview with Akyol at Zomergasten in which the film-related issue surrounding Matthijs van Nieuwkerk is discussed again.
“This man is not worth a penny to me,” Slagter reacts on Monday in Shownieuws. “He could have apologized a thousand times. But he didn’t, he excused himself.”
In Humberto Tan’s talk show last year, Akyol said that there are images of “not so pleasant behavior” from his friend Van Nieuwkerk. Because the video has never been made public, people doubt whether the video really exists. Many later felt that the former table guest of De Wereld Draait Door (DWDD) had thrown Van Nieuwkerk under the bus.
According to Slagter, Akyol owes his career to Van Nieuwkerk and DWDD. He therefore finds it incomprehensible that he does not apologize. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s finished. We still have a contract with him and we will serve it out properly.”
But Akyol can no longer count on a friendship with the broadcasting boss and a new contract. It is not known how long he will still have a contract with MAX. The presenter has been making Sterren op het Doek for the broadcaster since 2019.
Nieuwkerk, the former presenter of DWDD, and the program itself are discussed extensively in a report on transgressive behavior within the broadcaster. After the misconduct at the talk show came to light, Van Nieuwkerk immediately resigned from his work at BNNVARA.