What does Matthijs van Nieuwkerk think of his (ex) best friend Özcan Akyol suddenly publicly turning his back on him? “We have asked his manager for a response.”
It must be incredibly painful for Matthijs van Nieuwkerk. The presenter loses the trust of Özcan Akyol, while until now he was mainly known as the best friend who condoned his misconduct. However, the Stars on the Canvas star has now seen footage of Matthijs’ misconduct and says: “I no longer know who I am defending.”
Matthijs remains silent
What does Matthijs think of this? Presenter Daan Nieber says at the desk RTL Boulevard that suddenly no one wants to say anything anymore: “Eus let us know that he thinks two responses in one week to Matthijs’ issue are more than enough and Matthijs’ manager did not want to respond to the statements.”
Özcan’s turnaround is striking, because he put Matthijs back in the saddle at the end of last year by having him present his book presentation. Anouk and Bart Chabot did something similar. “Shouldn’t Anouk and Bart Chabot also make themselves heard about Matthijs?” asks TV expert Tina Nijkamp in her podcast Tina’s TV Update.
Anouk and Bart
Tina doesn’t think that’s necessary. “Well, I don’t know. Eus has already made himself heard. Bart Chabot and Anouk invited Matthijs for a presentation, just like Eus last year. Of course, they don’t have to make themselves heard.”
She continues: “I also don’t know what they think about it, whether they have contacted Matthijs and what they think about it and what they think about him not working at RTL 4. I don’t think they should say anything if they don’t want to. That’s up to them. We wait and see. Who knows, they might even post a comment on their social media.”
Fewer friends
One thing is certain: Matthijs has fewer and fewer friends. Where can he go now that RTL has more or less put him on hold? “The question is of course: will we ever see him on television again? Well, I’ll just have to see about that. I don’t think it will happen in the coming year anyway,” says Tina.
Will Peter van der Vorst dare to face Matthijs again? “Perhaps RTL will record a video or a documentary series with him for Videoland or something, but I don’t really see him doing that Sunday talk show anymore, not even in a year’s time. I still think too much has happened.”
Matthijs magic
From prime time to the sidelines: the Matthijs magic is simply gone, according to Tina. “Perhaps he will still go to the NPO, that is of course also possible, right? That he will still work at Omroep MAX. Very honest: I would recommend it to him. I think he fits in much better there and there are many more opportunities for programs without sponsorship.”
MAX boss Jan Slagter is known for downplaying misconduct. “You also have much less to do with advertisers and other sensitivities there. If Matthijs still wants a career, I would advise him to go back to the NPO, if they still want that. But for the time being we will not see Matthijs on television again.”