Aaf Brandt Corstius says Dutch talk show felt ‘the most stressful place on earth’

Aaf Brandt Corstius has described filming *De Wereld Draait Door* as “the most stressful place on earth”, saying she often felt excluded while appearing on the Dutch talk show. Her remarks came in the latest episode of the podcast *Aaf en Lies lossen het wel weer op*, co-hosted with actress Lies Visschedijk. [1]

Brandt Corstius, a columnist who regularly appeared as a panellist, said she had often felt she was “not quite part of it” and that the atmosphere made her question whether the problem was her. “And now I think: ‘Oh, so it was the place, not me,’” she said.

Visschedijk agreed that the atmosphere was “the most stressful place on earth”. Brandt Corstius compared it to the Olympics, saying staff repeatedly described the programme as operating at “such a high level”, even though, as she put it, they were making a talk show.

The comments came during a discussion about imposter syndrome. The article notes that *De Volkskrant* reported in 2022, two years after the programme ended, that a culture of fear had prevailed behind the scenes. [1]

The podcast episode was the first since the death of their friend Paulien Cornelisse, who had also appeared on the show. Visschedijk thanked listeners for their kind messages, while Brandt Corstius said they had taken a week off because recording had been difficult. [1]