Despite the frequent criticism of his presentation of Khalid & Sophie, Khalid Kasem does not intend to stop. “This is by far the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my working life.”
Before Khalid Kasem actually started on television, he was portrayed as something of a budding mega talent. Once on the tube with his talk show Khalid & Sophie, it is all a bit disappointing. He is criticized quite a bit and doesn’t handle it very well. For example, angry messages have already gone to Angela de Jong and Wilfred Genee.
Khalid does endurance sports
Khalid does get all the criticism, he admits in the VARA guide. “The start was tough, everyone saw that. What I did misjudge is people’s perception of how much time you get to create something. I didn’t care too much about it and luckily there was never a lack of fun, but I did find it striking.”
It really takes a little more time to grow as a presenter, Khalid believes. “Learning to present, that is endurance sport, not a five-hundred-meter sprint. Everything starts with knowledge and preparation. You can always do that well, it just has to do with doing your best. But after that, the trick is to feel free, to remain spontaneous.”
‘By far the best!’
Being yourself and making your mark isn’t always easy, Khalid explains. But: “Just to be clear: this is by far the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my working life. I keep realizing what a huge candy store it is, every day.”
He continues: “We can open every drawer, we can celebrate people, we can share grief, it is politics, art, sport, and always the heartbeat of society. Yes, it was one bumpy ridebut I enjoy every day here.”
Prefer solo?
Khalid presents the talk show alternately with Sophie Hilbrand. Wouldn’t he have preferred a solo program?
“I don’t mind that it doesn’t have to be done every day. But in the end it is just like football players: they don’t want to sit on the couch either, they want to play. So tomorrow? Fancy.”
