During his time at De Wereld Draait Door, Matthijs van Nieuwkerk fired a woman who had just lost her daughter, writes the weekly magazine Privé. “He thought she was ‘not so happy’.”
The astonishing stories about Matthijs van Nieuwkerk keep pouring in now that he has been exposed once and for all as a brutal broadcast executioner. De Privé, which was the first medium to write about the toxic working atmosphere at De Wereld Draait Door eleven years ago, came up with a follow-up this week full of new testimonials.
Autocue stuff
One of those stories is about the many autocue assistants who were fired by Matthijs. The presenter has always refused to wear glasses, which is why the font size of his autocue was always huge. “For those who have to run with him at his reading pace, that requires an almost superhuman concentration,” explains de Privé.
If the autocue failed, Matthijs exploded. For that reason, according to the magazine, at least twelve people have been laid off. “But Matthijs was extremely satisfied with one woman,” says a new Private source. “She could read and write with him, kept up with him effortlessly and – oh wonder – he wasn’t annoyed with her.”
Personal drama
Due to a personal drama, this autocue lady stops working for about two to three months. “So she was his favourite, but then something terrible happened. The daughter of this dear colleague, just twenty, died in a traffic accident abroad.”
Upon his return, Matthijs was no longer satisfied with this grieving mother. “That evening, standing next to Matthijs, she went through the last changes that still had to be adjusted on the screen. Nothing wrong, everyone was happy that she was back, but the next day she was told that she didn’t have to come anymore.
Why not? “Matthijs found her, it was literally said, ‘not so cheerful’!”
Heartless studio executioner
Telegraaf presenter Wilson Boldewijn thinks it’s a bizarre story. “A lot of shit is coming up, isn’t it?” he says in Privé TV.
Private boss Evert Santegoeds then: “Yes, an awful lot. The heartlessness with which that man could rant at people. A woman who lost her daughter is simply fired because she was not cheerful enough on the set, while standing next to Matthijs.”
He concludes: “How could we have all thought for years that he was such a nice, friendly, charming, erudite man. It’s a studio executioner. I can’t think of any other words for it.”
Fragment
Evert about this dismissal at Privé TV:
