Justice and Emergency Management Minister Emily Inger Mehl, 28, has been seen for the past two months as a participant in the popular entertainment show “Company Lauritzen” on TV 2.
Mehl thinks she learned so much at the “Company Lauritzen” that she brought with her to her job as a politician:
But Mehl was not only one of the many participants in the “Kompani Lauritzen”. The 28-year-old has proven to be hugely impressive on the programme, and will be in the final on Saturday night with Emily Neering (26), Ricky Marie Isaacsen (27) and Marius Schelbeck (31). There, the four will fight for victory in the competition, with whoever reaches the top with the sword wins.
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However, the fact that the Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness was involved in a reality show has caused some backlash, especially considering that Russia invaded Ukraine and war broke out a few days before the show was first shown on TV.
“It’s been a very special week,” Mehl tells Nettavizen.
– She adds that the day it was first shown on television, it was a few days after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
– Understand it was a special time
The 28-year-old Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness from Lawrencekoog was “only” one of several MPs when the program was registered at the Sittensmoen camp last summer.
Little did the politician know that soon she would be in government as Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness and that war would break out in Ukraine when the program was broadcast on television.
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As mentioned, it has generated some backlash, including from Kjetil B. Alstadheim, Aftenposten’s political editor.
“There is a war in Ukraine. At the same time, the Norwegian Minister of Emergencies is playing war as entertainment on Saturday. It is completely absurd »wrote on Twitter before the premiere.
Mehl says she also thinks it was a special time to be a minister and a participant in reality at the same time:
– For my part, everything about airtime and the type of editorial decisions that TV2 makes has nothing to do with me. I understand it was a special time, and I thought so to myself. I think almost everyone in production knew about it.
Read also: Double exit in “Company Lauritzen” before the final
However, the 28-year-old notes that the TV show conveys good values and has done a lot for the Norwegian Armed Forces.
– “Company Lauritzen” is about the very beautiful values, such as unity, mastery, standing up to the tough, and growing as a human being. And these values I think are relevant anyway.
A clear message from the channel
Before each program, TV 2 confirmed that the recording was made before Emily Inger-Mehl became a minister in the form of a text poster. It was a choice by TV 2.
– I didn’t ask them to do it, but I think it would be good if they were told about it, says Mih to Netavizen.
– When something is broadcast on TV now, it may not be easy to immediately understand that this was recorded a long time ago, long before I became a minister, adds the 28-year-old.
Recently, the channel chose to do the same by informing and warning viewers that “Kompani Lauritzen” was recorded before hostilities began in Ukraine, and that some scenes in the program were reminiscent of war and acts of war.
Read also: I got a secret message from production
Full focus on Ukraine
But although some have criticized the 28-year-old’s TV involvement, Meehl maintains that most of her time primarily went to work as a minister.
– At the beginning of the program, there was a complete focus on the Ukraine crisis, and so far it has been all along the way. When the war broke out, it had many consequences for Norway, many of them my responsibility. Among other things, immigration, since many refugees came here, says the politician.
– So it was important to work as quickly as possible to prepare Norway to receive them and deal with security, at least.
Between fights, she had some time to watch the show.
– But certainly there was more focus on politics.
— and I notice it now, because it seems as if this season has gone really fast, she says.
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