There was a time when RTL and Talpa presented Matthijs van Nieuwkerk with blank checks, but that is over now. According to Angela de Jong, Peter van der Vorst no longer wants him.
It’s no secret that RTL’s TV boss Peter van der Vorst not only tried to get Eva Jinek, but also Jeroen Pauw and Matthijs van Nieuwkerk to RTL 4. Eva said yes, Jeroen soon dropped out – he says he doesn’t need all those RTL millions – and Matthijs decided after a long time of hesitation not to do it.
Almost to RTL
Matthijs dropped out at the last minute; there even existed a photo with Beau and Eva together. “Luckily we still have the photo! If there’s a picture of Beau and Eva and me, there’s no point in denying it anymore. It’s true, we have spoken with Peter van der Vorst a number of times,” said the presenter in 2020.
He found it interesting. “I couldn’t imagine a better company. Eva and Beau are among the very best, and not unimportantly the nicest. And Peter is an inspiring chef. But in the end it was with the knife to the throat: daily or weekly? Your own program or part of this super team? I chose Matthijs Continues.”
Peter doesn’t want anymore
Now, two years later, according to Angela de Jong, there is no implanted hair on Peter’s head that thinks about bringing in Matthijs. “RTL will not want it with Peter van der Vorst, I have from a reliable source. They no longer want to work with this type of people in one team,” she says in the AD Media podcast.
And what about Talpa? After all, John de Mol doesn’t seem to care what his stars are up to. “Talpa could. They always wanted him. John de Mol has had a lot of conversations, but that would be a bit like Antwerp bringing in Overmars, wouldn’t it? I wouldn’t advise anyone to do it now.”
Unwind
Matthijs should let everything rest for a while, Angela thinks. “I think we should let things settle down a bit first. Who knows, three more presenters will roll out of the closet and it will all crystallize in half a year and we will have forgotten it again. Then it would just be possible.”
She would eventually recommend a major TV interview. “First he has to give a very good interview, somewhere on television. Really show that he is sorry.”
Forgiving
What about Omroep MAX? Jan Slagter seems to have no problem with Matthijs and his culture of fear. “Broadcasting MAX… I have the impression that Jan Slagter would just incorporate him.”
Does the viewer accept that too? “I don’t think it works that way with the viewer. The viewer is quite forgiving, but Matthijs always had a thing about that salary that many people did not have such a good feeling about. I think that some water still needs to go through the IJssel.”
RTL responds
What does RTL say about a possible switch from Matthijs? That, according to the broadcaster, is ‘not the case’.
And Talpa? They give exactly the same response when asked.
