Is there also a toxic work atmosphere here on talk shows? “If Mark Otterhoven had flown like this, he would have received a quick response.”

Mathis Van Nieuwkirk, Ellen DeGeneres, and now also Jimmy Fallon: talk show staffers are increasingly complaining about inappropriate behavior. Does the pressure of daily talk shows create a toxic work environment? “You don’t look.” News To see Wim de Wilder. This is the case with talk shows.

He has danced several times with former First Lady Michelle Obama, sings regularly with Justin Timberlake, and is so good friends with Taylor Swift’s mother that she provided him with a video of the pop star, still sedated after eye surgery, reacting funny to… banana. There are few celebrities better than Jimmy Fallon, the American talk show host The Tonight Showand has not yet been delivered.

But this success has a dark side, it now appears. This week, several current and former employees of the daily talk show weighed in on the toxic work atmosphere behind the scenes of the show. Fallon reportedly regularly appeared drunk, or reacted more explosively if he was hungry that day. His tantrums and intimidating behavior are said to have caused mental problems among several employees. Complaints submitted to Human Resources remained unanswered. Over the past nine years, the program has had at least nine program leaders, all of whom, according to whistleblowers, did not know how to say “no” to a presenter.

Talk Show Hosts and Inappropriate Behavior: Fallon is by no means first on this list. Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Phil, James Corden and Matthijs Van Newkirk preceded Fallon. Is it related to pressure? Is vanity acting out? Why does this work environment seem more susceptible to toxicity?

“I’ve never experienced it myself, but I understand where that’s coming from.” poll from the morning Among various current and former employees of Flemish talk shows, the answer was strikingly similar. At first glance, situations like Nieuwkerk don’t seem to happen in our little TV country. But everyone we spoke to agreed that working on a news show that has to be on the air every day is exhausting.

“There are different elements that contribute to this,” says Grete Nagels, the magazine’s editor-in-chief. The appointment. “There’s time pressure. Every day you’re working against the clock. Plus, we sometimes change topics during the day based on current events and have to cancel people. It’s not a good thing for guests to hear, but it’s also not a good thing for editors to do.”

Vara de Aguirre, who alternates with Bart Schulz The appointment Offers, agrees. “As air time approaches, this editorial office can become a high-pressure area. Sometimes I come up short or raise my voice. But I’ve never encountered anything that couldn’t be fixed afterward.”

Tight deadlines and last-minute adjustments: More and more business environments have to deal with this. Leadership professor Jesse Segers (Sioo, Interuniversity Center for Organization and Change Management) himself gives the example of newspapers and newsrooms. But there is an important difference: “In Dutch expression: The tent is larger than the man. In the news and in newspapers, content is what matters most. Maybe you don’t tune in News To see Wim de Velder. This is the case with talk shows: a lot depends on the presenter’s creativity, sense of humor and wit. Under pressure, they will do less introspection and are more likely to fall into the trap of omnipotence. Production houses and broadcasters are also becoming more reliant on the face of the screen, while a lighting technician with a freelance contract can quickly be fired.

This cult of personality is, in some ways, also typical of the United States. except schedule of four Until recently Van Giles and guestsThere are a few of them in our TV guide Recent examples of talk shows that include the host’s name.

“I think it has something to do with our Flemish modesty,” says Sim van Helmont. He worked on several daily talk shows, including: last showwhich aired on one channel from 1999 to 2012. “I can imagine it as Mark Oyterhoven (Last presenter between 2002 and 2006, KVD) If he had criticized someone the same way he criticized Jimmy Fallon, he would have gotten a quick response. “Our culture doesn’t tolerate that much when someone plays the star.”

This humility is of course also linked to context: while The world goes on It easily reached a million viewers a day, whereas in Flanders this number usually remained at several hundred thousand. The editorial offices in Flanders are also smaller, which makes it even more important that everyone can walk through the same door after each episode.

After our phone conversation, Vara de Aguirre sent another excerpt from his recent interview with Norwegian Refugee Council With Van Newkirk, with the message: “I copied this for myself.” “We should have talked more,” the Dutch broadcaster admits. “We should have looked at each other more closely, and listened to each other better. Start your day with a short tour of what we’re actually doing. You’ve been very efficient. Always go home early, never go to a party.”