TV 2 faces criticism over decision to pull Rasmus Wallbridge series

TV 2 has been criticised for waiting too long to withdraw its controversial series about comedian Rasmus Wallbridge, after facing heavy criticism. Se & Hør editor-in-chief Niels Pinborg called the broadcaster’s handling “a catastrophe in slow motion” in an interview with DR.

The series, Everyone Loves Rasmus, follows Wallbridge through a four-month hidden-camera experiment. Friends, acquaintances and celebrities led him to believe he was working towards his dream of making a feature film. Critics have described the programme as bullying an adult on television.

TV 2 programme director Dorthe Thirstrup apologised to Wallbridge and the other participants in a statement. Pinborg said the broadcaster had addressed the criticism and Wallbridge’s feelings, but not what he considered the central issue: the programme itself and the idea behind it. He said he had yet to see TV 2 acknowledge that it had made serious mistakes.

TV 2 declined to give an interview about its announcement. Pinborg said the broadcaster should have appeared publicly to defend its work. He also criticised what he described as TV 2’s recurring difficulties arranging interviews when faced with challenging questions.

Ekstra Bladet editor-in-chief Simon Bendtsen called the affair a “gigantic media scandal” in a post on X and said it should have consequences at TV 2. However, the broadcaster’s content director, Ulla Pors, said she continued to have confidence in Thirstrup and backed her decision to withdraw the series.

TV presenter Anna Lin, one of the programme’s early critics, had called it “psychological terror” and said she was glad it had been removed. Comedian Torben Chris said only Wallbridge could judge whether the decision was right, because it would not give him back the four months he had spent believing he was pursuing his dream while caring for his new family. Chris added that getting Wallbridge’s approval after filming did not make the deception acceptable.

Culture Minister Zenia Stampe also welcomed the withdrawal. She said she hoped TV 2 would help Wallbridge move on from what she called an offensive psychological experiment and heed his request not to do it again.

Wallbridge did not agree to an interview. His manager, Jakob Riis, said in a written response that they appreciated the programmes had been taken down.

TV 2’s account of the format says 149 of Wallbridge’s friends and acquaintances, along with a number of well-known people, took part in the hoax. Everyone except Wallbridge knew the premise. After filming, he was given the opportunity to decide whether the series would be made public.