According to critics, it is more wrong than wrong that Linda de Mol did not intervene adequately when two victims of Ali B reported to her, but one of those victims is now standing up for her.
Linda de Mol was one of the first to be aware of Ali B’s misconduct. She was able to whisper to her brother John de Mol, then producer of The Voice, that the rapper was not pure coffee, but failed to do so. She withdrew her hands and referred the victims to the next counter.
A lot of shit
Critics like Welmoed Sijtsma think that Linda could have prevented a lot of suffering, but the fallen TV queen herself? He refuses to be held accountable. “I’ll do that later,” she said more or less in front of the Boulevard camera last February. She ultimately never did that again.
Naomi, one of Ali’s victims, jumped in yesterday RTL Tonight — she gave an anonymous interview to Humberto Tan — standing up for Linda. “I think Linda de Mol has had too much shit thrown at her over the years, while she has done nothing.”
Shut up
Naomi emphasizes that she emphatically asked Linda at the time to remain silent about the accusations. “Because we were afraid that the investigation would be influenced. She did that.”
She thinks Linda is an honest person. “It’s not fair that she had to deal with so much shit and was accused of covering things up. She didn’t do that.”
Leave it alone
For critics, Naomi’s story will do little to change the core of the criticism: after all, there was a greater stake at stake than just her request to remain silent. With such serious signals about Ali B, the prevention of possible new victims should ultimately have been more important, the critics will say.
Naomi makes an appeal anyway: “I actually hope that people will leave her alone after today. I hope that people will also listen to me today. Just leave that woman alone.”
One thing is certain: Linda is lucky. He now has something to hide behind…