Breaking: Jeroen Pauw stops with his late night show

This is not entirely unexpected, but I do find it very unfortunate. Jeroen Pauw is stopping. Pauw is no more, after this year. Or as he himself reports on Instagram: ‘for the next two weeks, the curtain remains on the table, but after that, it really falls.’ Very unfortunate, because since 2014 (when he continued on his own, without Paul Witteman) he has been a staple for many (including myself) in the late evening.

It’s not really unexpected because he had already indicated doubts about his show. Eva Jinek decided to pack her bags and leave for RTL4, and part of Pauw's editorial team went with her. Jinek will alternately present the late-night show there with Beau van Erven Dorens, so we won't see who would have won this battle. Those two were otherwise scheduled directly opposite each other.

The gap that Jinek left at the public broadcaster will then be filled again by Jeroen Pauw. Well, occasionally, not too early to cheer. It was announced that the presentation of this new program ‘Op 1’ will be in the hands of various presenting duos — of which Pauw could be a part. He is in any case already a co-creator and co-producer. That he won't sit still at the NPO is certain, because he also wants to focus on other programs. Okay, small consolation; we will still see him. But you were a bit of the Mister Late Night for me, Mr. Pauw.

View this post on Instagram

1TP5Farewell #pauw for the next two weeks, the curtain remains on the table, but after that, it really falls. I will do other things in 2020, without a table or with a table but then not in a studio.. other conversations and reports with a bit more length and depth than the ‘conversation of the day’ and the ‘frenzy of the week’. I am really looking forward to that, but I also look forward to the last two weeks of Pauw, a program that I make with so much love and pleasure together with a wonderful ambitious editorial team, in a cheerful atmosphere, partly thanks to all those good guests who take the trouble to join every day. But all this would not exist if it weren't watched. So thank you to everyone who watched and is watching, and hopefully, you will keep doing that for a while longer?

A post shared by Jeroen Pauw (@pauwjeroen) on Dec 9, 2019 at 4:22 (PST)

Image: Annemieke van der Togt