Alexander Klöpping reacts with surprise when Het Parool asks him whether he has never doubted his friendship with Matthijs van Nieuwkerk. “I don’t understand the question.”
It is still unbelievable how quickly Matthijs van Nieuwkerk’s TV career ended: one moment he was still on the TV, the next moment he had to take shelter in his farmhouse. The fallen TV star has lost many friends, but there are also many people who have remained loyal to him. One of these is former DWDD guest Alexander Klöpping.
‘Not at all!’
Alexander gets in Het Parool the question whether he has ever spoken to Matthijs about his transgressive behavior in the former talk show. “Especially shortly afterwards, that period came up. I heard his side of the story, and what it is like to receive so much criticism,” he answers.
His interviewer then: “Have you ever had any doubts about whether I should still keep in touch with him because of the stories?”
Alexander: “No, not at all.”
Alexander falls silent
The Parool journalist finds this striking. “Why not?”, it sounds.
Alexander then remains silent for a moment. “Well… Why not? To be honest, I don’t really understand the question. It’s someone to whom I owe a lot, who I really appreciate as a creator, but also as a person. We meet up a few times a year to discuss life. I don’t know why I would stop doing that if someone is no longer allowed to appear on TV.”
‘I want to help’
The interviewer himself would have some doubts about that, he reveals. “I can imagine that people say: he has hurt people. You might find that difficult.”
Alexander then: “I don’t know. I feel very privileged to have him in my life. And I would also like to help him. Especially in a period when almost no one helped him.”
Artist
Matthijs is simply a creative person with a special character, Alexander believes. “I see some people as artists; I have that with him too. Whether it is written or whether he tells a story: you hang on his every word.”
“He sells out theater tours, full cafes, his Substack has thousands of readers. There is clearly a need for what he makes. I am very happy that he is doing that again. Certainly, I wish him that.”