Gerard Joling has urgently advised RTL not to replace his deceased colleague Loretta Schrijver on the jury of The Masked Singer. “I said, ‘Guys, we shouldn’t do that.’”
It’s almost that time again: The Masked Singer will return to the air in a month, but this time the popular RTL 4 show will have to do without the deceased Loretta Schrijver for the first time. She died in March at the age of 68 and is still missed by TV viewers. And of course later, when the entertainment show is back.
“You do miss her.”
How were the recordings without Loretta? Gerard tells in the Party: “Tough. You miss her. The laughter, certain comments, that make you think: she would have thought this was fantastic and she would have been in love with this again.”
He continues: “But we made a very nice video for Loretta in the first broadcast, in which we honor her and, as it were, commemorate her. That looks beautiful.”
Irreplaceable
The Masked Singer made a conscious decision not to replace Loretta. “Because I don’t think she can be replaced. That’s how I reported it to the management of RTL. I said: ‘Guys, we shouldn’t do that. We now just do it with the four of us, Carlo, Buddy, Monica and I, and not with anyone else, because it will be burned down!”
He continues: “We have already recorded five or six episodes and it’s going really well. It’s incredible all the names that are in the packs. I always think: it’s done now. But there are names included that I think: how good. It’s going to be great fun.”
Laughs
Yet it will never be the same again, Gerard concludes. “It’s an empty, dark dressing room that you always walk past when you go to the toilet. That’s awful. Very bizarre and not fun.”
“On the other hand, we miss her presence, her incredible spontaneity and especially all those laughs from her. Loretta was a treasure.”