Albert Verlinde denies that he leaves SBS 6 with a blood ticket. He gives up nine months of lucrative TV income, but according to him that is really voluntary. “There’s no smell to it.”
It is an unexpected step by Albert Verlinde: he left silently in mid-July as an expert at Shownieuws, it was announced yesterday. The remarkable thing is that at that time he would actually still be under contract with SBS 6 for another ten months and TV contracts are quite lucrative. Did he really get out on his own or is it a case of bonje?
Albert denies arguing
Albert states on Radio 538 that there is absolutely nothing wrong with his departure. “All I can say is: it really doesn’t matter. The story I tell is really the story it is. It is indeed very special that someone says themselves: ‘I don’t need the last ten months of my contract’, but that’s how it is.”
Losing such a TV contract is not really a loss for Albert, he admits. “I’m in the circumstances where I can afford to do it.”
Juice channels
The reason for leaving is that Albert wants some more time for himself. Or does it also play a role that showbiz is quite polarized? “I’m always used to a lot of commotion. When I said something, quite a lot happened. I’m used to that, but it’s on 24 hours a day now, you know?”
He continues: “If you are already very busy… Then it is not so much the program, but everything around it that makes it very tiring. All the comments that come with it… Then I think: do I still want it all? That if I say something: húp, another 38 sites that are busy! At some point you will be done with that. It’s a bit of a factor.”
Fair departure
Albert appreciates that Talpa grants him his early departure. “I still had a contract until May next year and then I thought: I’m going to ask if we can end it earlier. Then I went to Marco Louwerens and said: ‘I’m going with this. I don’t care when it is.’”
The departure was arranged during his vacation. “I also think it’s childish to take a nice vacation, send your bills and say after the vacation, ‘I’ve thought about it again, but I’m stopping.’ I say: ‘Then I think it’s fairer to say it before the summer.’ That’s the story.”
Yvonne as successor
Who does Albert see as his successor? “Well, I really like Rob Goossens. I discovered it myself, so I can name it too. And I find that with that juice channels… Let’s be honest: what this Yvonne Coldeweijer is doing is quite clever, isn’t it? It’s new. Like I was new when I started it on TV, she’s new now that it’s on the socials.”
“As far as I’m concerned, on TV it’s Rob and through those channels it’s Yvonne.”
Finally: what if RTL Boulevard calls him? “Not for a while. Don’t call me, no. haha.”
