– NRK wanted the current agreement to be amended in a way that imposes strong restrictions on our other business activities. I have no desire or opportunity to close the rest of my business in order to save NRK’s ​​reputation, and we therefore feel compelled to end the collaboration, says Sophie Elise in the press release.

VG mentioned the press release from the direction of Isachsen first.

NRK’s ​​conclusion is that the commercial links with the two profiles are too extensive to be combined with the ongoing podcast production for NRK.

Is it true that Sophie Elise had to stop her other business activities?

– If she sees it that way, then it’s probably fair, confirms the Marienlyst division’s acting director, Charlo Halvorsen.

He says that NRK had to strengthen the ability of influencers to conduct business, and admits that the new framework presented to influencers was probably decisive for them to end the collaboration.

Thus, the episode of “Sophie and Fetisha”, which was released on Thursday morning, will be the last.

NRK was not aware of the dismissal

– We can confirm that the collaboration on the production and publication of the “Sophie and Fetisha” podcast is over, says NRK Broadcasting Manager Vibeke Fürst Haugen in a statement.

The press release was sent out just three hours after news broke that Isachsen and Williams had announced they were ending their collaboration.

– It was not planned, but not unexpected either, said Halvorsen.

– We had not planned to publish such a press release, he adds.

So the NRK press release is just a statement?

– Yes, answers Halvorsen.

The parties met last Tuesday and have not spoken today. They were to meet again on Friday. Nothing will come of it.

It’s stated in Sophie Elise’s management press release that she and Williams’ decision to end the collaboration is well thought out. They say that NRK was initially satisfied with the content, but believe that in the past two days there has been a change in attitude on the part of NRK.

– We refused other more lucrative offers to cooperate with NRK, and we do not regret it. It was instructive and evolutionary to work with such a large and professional organization, and we were ready to develop the concept further, says Williams.

On Instagram, Isachsen expresses that the work with the NRK podcast “Sophie og Fetisha” gave more flavor.

– We are proud of the podcast we have created with wonderful colleagues from NRK Entertainment and are grateful for everything they have taught us. And more podcasts there will be – but on a different platform.

Talked about commercial links

There have been several meetings between NRK Entertainment and Isachsen in recent days.

– Here we made it clear that we had to change the agreements with them – we couldn’t live with these agreements as a public broadcaster, says Halvorsen.

According to information from NRK Nyheter, the meetings have, among other things, focused on how Isachsen’s deal with NRK is structured and whether she should be allowed to have other business income while she is employed by NRK.

– We were chosen, despite our business ties. NRK said yes to “Sophie and Fetisha” knowledgeable, knowing what we do for a living and probably with a desire to reach those we meet with the content we’ve been creating for several years, Isachsen writes on Instagram.

Sophie Elise and Fetisha Williams were able to run their business activities as before, alongside ongoing publishing.

– The looser regime hasn’t worked well enough, says Halvorsen.

In other project agreements, you often have a set period during which you will be paid for the project, as well as a before and after period, during which you will also be paid. The so-called fences, to ensure that trade links do not conflict with each other.

Among others, Jørgine Vasstrand, known as Funkygine, had it with NRK when she was the presenter of “Norway’s Toughest”.

– I am in commercial quarantine before, during and after the broadcast period. This means that I cannot work commercially, have no other collaboration partners and promote my own products, Vasstrand told NRK Nyheter.

Deleted image

The background to the controversies of recent weeks is a photo that Sophie Elise posted on her own Instagram. It was later deleted.

The photo showed Sophie Elise and another influencer. The other held in one hand a small bag apparently containing white powder.

Halvorsen says it made NRK take a closer look at the collaboration, but the image isn’t decisive for the collaboration’s breakup.

– Only the contractual framework posed a problem for us, he specifies.

It is not known what the bag contained.

– I don’t usually pay particular attention to the photos I post. I was going to post a photo carousel, as I often do, Isachsen wrote on his own Instagram profile on Friday last week.

She writes that she studied the images remotely, before selecting a group to go on a so-called social media image carousel.

– When I saw the image, it was deleted after only three minutes. In any case, the publication was my responsibility, and something like this will not happen again, she writes.

The Audiovisual Council will discuss the collaboration between NRK and Sophie Elise next Thursday. There were approximately 4,000 complaints in this case.

The directions of Sophie Steen Isachsen and Fetisha Williams did not respond to requests from NRK Nyheter.