Joling Urges RTL too Honor Schrijver‘s Legacy, Forbids Replacement on ‘The Masked singer’
Amsterdam, Netherlands – Gerard Joling has implored RTL to refrain from replacing the late Loretta Schrijver on the jury of the hit show The Masked Singer.Joling directly advised RTL executives against finding a substitute, believing Schrijver’s presence is irreplaceable.
Schrijver, who passed away in March at the age of 68, leaves a important void in the popular RTL 4 program as it prepares to return to air in a month. Joling shared his feelings about recording without his colleague in a recent interview with Party magazine, stating, “Tough. You miss her. The laughter, certain comments, that make you think: she would have thought this was fantastic and she would have been in love with this again.”
RTL has reportedly heeded Joling’s advice,opting to continue the show with its existing panel of Carlo Boszhard,Buddy Vedder,Monica Geuze,and Joling himself.”Because I don’t think she can be replaced,” Joling explained. “That’s how I reported it to the management of RTL.I said: ‘guys, we shouldn’t do that. We now just do it with the four of us…and not with anyone else, because it will be burned down!'”
Despite the positive progress of the new season - with five or six episodes already recorded and a lineup of extraordinary masked performers – Joling acknowledges the absence is deeply felt. “It’s an empty, dark dressing room that you always walk past when you go to the toilet. That’s awful. Very bizarre and not fun,” he said.
The show will honor Schrijver with a special video tribute in the first broadcast. Joling concluded,”Conversely,we miss her presence,her amazing spontaneity and especially all those laughs from her. Loretta was a treasure.”
