Dutch contestant Joost Klein has been officially removed from the Eurovision singing competition as police investigate a backstage flare-up he’s involved in. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed Klein’s expulsion Saturday just hours before the singer would’ve taken the stage for the final, saying local police were reviewing a “complaint made by a female member of the production crew” and that Klein had been barred from competing while the investigation was underway. The day before, Klein had missed two important dress rehearsals after being abruptly pulled out of the lineup for what the EBU called an “incident,” prompting speculation about what had happened behind the scenes. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros revealed Klein had made a “threatening” movement on Thursday when he realized he was being filmed without his consent, but that he never touched the camerawoman or equipment. Avrotros slammed the disqualification as “very heavy and disproportionate.” Eurovision has in some cases booted countries from the competition—such as Russia in 2022, when the country invaded Ukraine—but it has never expelled someone so late in the game.
