Radio IIII host Ditte Okman is ending her gossip programme “Det, vi taler om” after going on sick leave, and the station’s editor-in-chief says a dispute over an upcoming disability podcast triggered her exit.
Okman announced on air on the afternoon of September 18 that she is leaving Radio IIII. According to DR, she told listeners through tears that she had become ill from working at the station. The episode was the last edition of her programme on Radio IIII.
In the same broadcast, she said her doctor had signed her off sick. She also said the station had received a letter of concern from her psychologist, paid for by Radio IIII itself. She described feeling unsafe about how employees and guests were used.
Editor-in-chief points to disability podcast
Radio IIII’s editor-in-chief and director, Nikolai Thyssen, rejects the idea that staff generally become ill at the station. Speaking to DR’s P1 Morgen, he said the immediate cause of the situation was a disagreement about a coming podcast series.
Per Thyssen, the station will publish a podcast within a few weeks about living in Denmark with a disability. He said it takes its starting point in the mistake made in an April broadcast, where Okman and fellow host Mikkel Sorgenfrey laughed at a man with a disability.
Thyssen said he understands if Okman disagrees with the decision. As a host, he noted, it can be uncomfortable that the station holds on to a crisis that had almost passed. He added that Radio IIII is a public service station and is obliged to reflect on its own errors.
Okman is not employed by Radio IIII. She delivers “Det, vi taler om” as an external supplier, and the programme was previously hosted on Podimo. She said her departure follows a mutual agreement, without a golden handshake, and described the outcome as expensive lessons.
She said the agreement has been decisive for her recovery. DR contacted Okman for comment, but she declined to take part because she is on sick leave. She did not mention the coming podcast in her on-air statement.
In that statement, Okman said recent weeks had been extremely hard, because there had been an expectation that she would still deliver programmes while signed off sick. As reported by TV2 on September 18, she listed symptoms including vomiting, numb hands and uncontrolled crying.
Okman hinted that the programme may return, but stressed that no agreement exists with any other radio station. She also said she had worked for Podimo during her sick leave, producing “Grebet af Gift ved første blik”. Her sick leave, she said, applies to Radio IIII.
Okman marks the 10-year anniversary of “Det, vi taler om” this year. The programme has drawn a large audience, and she has also faced repeated criticism for her remarks.
