John de Mol Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John de Mol Jr.
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de Mol Jr. in 2006
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| Born |
Johannes Hendrikus Hubert de Mol Jr.
24 April 1955 The Hague, Netherlands
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) |
Willeke Alberti
(m. 1976; div. 1980)Els de Mol
(m. 1986) |
| Children | Johnny de Mol |
| Relatives | Linda de Mol (sister) |
John de Mol Jr. is a famous Dutch businessman. He is known for creating many popular TV shows. He started big TV companies like Endemol and Talpa. John de Mol helped create shows like Big Brother and The Voice. He also made game shows such as Fear Factor and Deal or No Deal. In 2023, his wealth was estimated to be around $1.8 billion.
Contents
Creating TV Shows
John de Mol became very successful by making television programs.
Starting Endemol
From 1997 to 1999, he created the popular reality TV show Big Brother. He made this show with his company, John de Mol Produkties. In 1994, his company joined with another one to form Endemol. Even after joining, his company still worked on its own projects.
He produced many other shows for Endemol. These included Fear Factor, Love Letters, 1 vs. 100, and Deal or No Deal. In 2000, John de Mol sold his part of Endemol. He continued to work there as a creative director until 2004. In 2005, he was named one of the richest people in the world by Forbes Magazine.
Utopia TV Show
In January 2014, Endemol launched a new reality TV show called Utopia. This show featured 15 people. Their goal was to build a new community on a rural property.
Building Talpa Media
John de Mol later started his own television station. He wanted to call it Tien, which means '10' in Dutch. However, another company already had a similar name, TV10. So, his channel had to start under the name Talpa. Talpa is a Latin word for 'mole', which is 'mol' in Dutch. Later, the name issue was fixed, and Talpa changed its name to Tien.
The station did not get good ratings. This happened even though it had the rights to show the Eredivisie football league. In 2007, John de Mol decided to close Tien. He sold the channel to RTL Nederland. He kept a part of that company. He also sold Radio 538 to RTL Nederland, which he had bought in 2005. The name Talpa stayed for his main company. This company kept making shows for RTL, like the very popular Ik Hou van Holland.
Buying SBS
In 2011, Talpa worked with a Finnish company called Sanoma. They bought the Dutch parts of SBS Broadcasting. This deal was made with a German broadcaster. As part of this agreement, John de Mol sold his shares in RTL Nederland. He kept ownership of Radio 538 and its sister stations, Radio 10 Gold and SLAM!FM.
The Voice TV Show
In 2010, John de Mol launched a new singing competition show. It was called The Voice of Holland. This show was a huge success in the Netherlands. The idea for the show was then sold to many other countries. The Voice (of America) started on NBC in April 2011. John de Mol was one of the main producers.
In The Voice, the first auditions are 'blind'. The judges sit with their backs to the singers. They cannot see who is singing. If a judge likes a voice, they push a button. Then, their chair turns around to face the singer. This idea was created by John de Mol and Dutch singer VanVelzen. It makes the show "all about the voice." After these blind auditions, the coaches train their singers. They go through battle rounds and public voting. Finally, one singer is left and becomes 'The Voice'.
Personal Life
John de Mol was once married to singer and actress Willeke Alberti. Their son is the actor Johnny de Mol. From 1980 to 1984, he was partners with Luv' singer Marga Scheide.
Outside of television, John de Mol also manages a large investment fund. At one point, this fund owned parts of car company Spyker Cars. It also owned parts of the telecommunications company Versatel. John's sister, Linda de Mol, is also a famous broadcaster and actress. She appears in some of Endemol's shows. These include the original Dutch version of Deal or No Deal, called Miljoenenjacht.
See also
In Spanish: John de Mol para niños
