Albert Verlinde is really annoyed by Tim Hofman. He thinks that the presenter acts far too much like the woke preacher of Dutch television. “Blood irritating.”
It is no secret that Tim Hofman causes a lot of irritation among a large group of people. And Albert Verlinde also belongs to that group of people, he admits in the AD program Famous or Infamous. “He’s a huge vain who basically treats every subject he covers with ‘me and’, so it’s ‘me and The Voice’, it’s ‘Me and my attacker.’”
Good boy
Noah Smits, an image expert, stands next to Albert in the studio and is also critical. “People just don’t like good guys and they think he’s a good guy. People like it when people are helped (…) but there has now come a point where he feels that he has to do it or something (…) and people are a bit bad about that.”
There are media makers who do solve things, but Tim mainly makes entertainment, Albert adds. “That is of course the difference. Kees van der Spek is a journalist who will make programs and he is an artist who makes programs. With The Voice it was also about the artist world, so he did a fantastic job of portraying that.”
Blood irritant
Other than that it is nothing, says Albert. “Remember when he completely destroyed that gamesman, when all that mattered was that people had invested in a game that still wasn’t ready? It wasn’t a scam situation, but then he considers himself so important. He always wants to put Tim Hofman on the map. Yes, I find that extremely irritating.”
Tim struggles with himself, he thinks. “I also think he feels like he’s walking a tightrope between being the benefactor and the messiah, and yet also a bit of the devilish side of vanity.”
Security button
Albert thinks that Tim is also very flaunting about the threats against him. “Yes, also taking advantage of the fact that you are threatened. With all due respect: when a confused man with a gun stands at the counter of the broadcasting building, that is a terrible thing to experience. You can then choose two things: you tell or you don’t tell.”
“But then it has a security button like that… If I had a button like that, I wouldn’t think: ‘I’m going to take public transport!’ Tim Hofman does. And how does he use it? When people are a bit nasty to him, he says: ‘I’m now calling the national police.’ Yes, that’s not what that thing is intended for, of course.”
Messiah complex
Tim has something of his own, but he has to channel that, says Albert. “He has to keep that individuality, but the moment he sells it off a bit because he suddenly starts bullying people and chasing fame, then people won’t accept that.”
He concludes: “I do think he has the messiah complex, but that also makes him who he is. I don’t mind it as much as Arie Boomsma. He really thinks that if you crucify him, he will rise again three days later.”