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From ‘Cuddle Moroccan’ to ‘sexual predator’

Ali B (Ali Bouali, 43) was one of the Netherlands’ most popular public figures for many years. As a rapper, TV presenter and coach on The Voice of Holland, he enjoyed widespread popularity. Three women — singers Ellen ten Damme and Jill Helena, and an anonymous victim named Naomi — accused him of serious sexual misconduct that took place in precisely those professional circles that made him famous. He was sentenced to two years in prison for two counts of rape, a verdict against which he has appealed.

Denial and portraying oneself as a victim

Driessen analyses how Ali B consistently denied the charges during the trial and presented himself as a victim of a “ruthless media circus”. He argued that since #MeToo, “there has been too much focus on power and powerlessness” and that the women remembered events differently in hindsight. Academics refer to this strategy as ‘himpathy’: shifting the focus onto the defendant’s own suffering, at the expense of the victims. The court explicitly rejected this defence and stated that the damage to Ali B’s reputation was the result of his own criminal behaviour.

The credibility of the victims

A key theme in the investigation is credibility. Ali B’s status as a beloved public figure initially made it harder for the victims to be taken seriously. For instance, Naomi’s account only gained traction after an independent witness came forward. In some public discussions, the women were dismissed as “groupies who had no right to complain” — a characterisation that the victims’ legal team explicitly contested in court.

Media portrayal as the driving force behind the downfall

Driessen demonstrates how the media played an active role in what she calls ‘de-celebrification’: the systematic dismantling of a person’s public status. The reporting shifted from neutral to morally charged. Headlines such as ‘From rapper to rapist’ and the term ‘sexual predator’ — first used by RTL Boulevard and subsequently widely adopted — contributed to a shift from legal reporting to public moral judgement.

Following the conviction, public broadcaster Avrotros removed all of Ali B’s programmes from its streaming platforms. A spokesperson stated that there was “no longer any room to work with him.”

Fame no longer offers protection

Driessen concludes that the Ali B case illustrates how fame in the post-#MeToo era no longer acts as a shield against legal and societal consequences. The combination of witness statements from victims, a court verdict, and critical media coverage proved stronger than his attempts to portray himself as a victim of 'cancel culture'. In doing so, he completed his transformation from one of the most well-liked public figures to one of the most reviled.