Danish comedian Rasmus Wallbridge spent four months working on what he believed was a Scary Movie-style film with his friend and collaborator Martin Johannes Larsen. Unbeknownst to him, he was being secretly filmed for a TV show called Alle elsker Rasmus (Everyone Loves Rasmus), and the film was not real—a Truman Show-style situation brought to life.
Outrage over the deception
When the deception, which involved 149 people including Martin, became public, it sparked widespread outrage. Danish celebrity chef Hannah Grant told TV 2 Echo: “It is completely absurd and rotten that a nationwide TV station thinks it’s okay to deceive people, lie to them, and gaslight them in order to make entertainment.” TV host Anna Lin said the programme should have been called Alle mobber Rasmus (Everyone Bullies Rasmus). Many critics have said the TV prank went beyond a joke and amounted to bullying.
TV 2 apologises and pulls the series
TV 2, the station behind the show, initially dropped all six episodes on October 28 but has now pulled the series from streaming and apologised. In a press release, TV 2’s programme director Dorthe Thirstrup wrote: “I would like to offer an unconditional apology to Rasmus Wallbridge and the participants in the programme Alle elsker Rasmus. I look inward and acknowledge that my judgment has simply failed here. This is the judgment that all the participants have relied on, and I am truly sorry about that. It was a wrong decision to make the programme the way we did. We have not looked after Rasmus well enough, despite the considerations we had beforehand.”
Wallbridge urges no similar series
The station claims Wallbridge was given the final say on whether the show would be aired and says he was compensated for his work. Rasmus has remained quiet about the prank, but when TV 2 initially said it could not rule out making similar series in future, he broke his silence to say: “I strongly urge them not to.” Celebrities who took part in the show have publicly apologised to Rasmus, as has Martin, who wrote on Instagram: “Rasmus is my good friend and close collaborator, and that is why I can only emphasise that I never intended to hurt him. Have I not been attentive enough to the consequences a project like this could have? Apparently not.” Metro has contacted TV 2 for comment.
