Theo Maassen stops as presenter of the program Zomergasten after the fuss that arose about his private life. He informed the ANP of this on Wednesday. Weekly magazine Privé previously reported that the comedian was guilty of domestic violence. Maassen’s sister, ex-girlfriend and wife denied these reports.
“It is with pain in my heart that I am withdrawing as presenter of Zomergasten for this season. Especially painful because there is no professional reason, but false reports from the tabloid press are the cause,” Maassen said. “The reason why I do not comment on gossip about my private life is because my private life is, as the word suggests, private.”
The 57-year-old presenter says that he and the VPRO have ended up ‘on different tracks’ in the conversations about how to deal with the image resulting from these messages. “A collaboration was therefore no longer possible this season. I would like to thank all kind and well-thinking people for their support during this remarkable time.”
VPRO response
The VPRO confirmed on Wednesday that Maassen will not make the 2024 edition of Zomergasten. “Following reports about an alleged issue in the private sphere, the VPRO has had extensive consultations with Theo Maassen,” reports a spokesperson for the broadcaster.
“In these conversations, Theo indicated that he did not want to respond publicly. The VPRO respected this choice, but did not think it was compatible with the presentation of the Summer Guests program. At the start of the series, the focus must be entirely on the guests.”
The VPRO expects to be able to announce more about this year’s presentation of Summer Guests in the spring. The VPRO emphasizes that ‘the collaboration with Theo Maassen has always been pleasant and looks back on a successful edition of Zomergasten in 2023’.
In 2023, Maassen presented the Summer Guests program. In the talk show Op1 he explains his presenting style: