“I don’t understand this bitterness”

If you had said 20 years ago that Thomas Gottschalk could become one of the most hated celebrities ever, all of Germany would have laughed. After all, the Wetten, that..? presenter was long considered the most popular entertainer in Germany. Then everything changed: Gottschalk began to trample on his own legacy.

Month after month there was a hail of new negative headlines because Gottschalk simply can’t help it: The entertainer has been blatantly blaspheming all over celebrity Germany for years and causing offense with scandalous statements. For a long time, the moderator thought he was safe from resistance, but even the stars are no longer silent: the celebrities are lashing out so violently against Thomas Gottschalk.

“I don’t understand this bitterness”: The celebrities are fed up with Thomas Gottschalk’s blasphemies

Until recently, Thomas Gottschalk was gossiping about Germany’s celebrities in his podcast, but RTL thwarted his plans at the end of 2024: the podcast was canceled. But there is also resistance on the celebrity front.

Bernhard Hoëcker

Bernhard Hoëcker (Who knows something like that?) is a real TV legend. He is bothered by the fact that Gottschalk acts as if the woke society had conspired against the old showmaster. In an interview with web.de he revealed:

It’s a shame that at the end he said the completely incorrect “you can’t say anything more” thing. So far, no one has gone to prison for gags.

Carolin Kebekus

Comedian Carolin Kebekus doesn’t mince her words and stands up for the rights of disadvantaged people. That’s why the blaspheming Gottschalk is a thorn in her side. At her show she dedicated an unflattering vocal performance to the entertainer:

Thommy, do you have to go to the home? Maybe you don’t check what the young people are saying, or that one As a man, instead of babbling nonsense, he can also remain silent.

Bill Kaulitz

Bill Kaulitz had jokingly talked about being the successor to Wetten, that..? with his brother Tom. to compete. (Read more about his dramatic escape to the USA here.) Gottschalk didn’t like that at all, so he called the twins “Adoptive sons of Heidi Klum” laughed at. Bill didn’t let that sit and shot back in his podcast:

You didn’t invent the show! You are a presenter, ZDF has hired you to moderate this show. This is not your show You don’t have anything to report.

Heidi Klum

Thomas Gottschalk, who at 74 is no longer the youngest, complained about Heidi Klum’s marriage to the much younger Tom Kaulitz. (Did you know that Gottschalk discovered Heidi Klum on TV?) In an interview with JamFM, she made it clear what she thinks of such statements:

I also think to myself: Where does the shaming end? Yes, my husband is 34 and I am 50. But I also think it’s age shaming.

Dagmar Berghoff

The Tagesschau icon reveals to t-online that she doesn’t understand why Gottschalk couldn’t enjoy his retirement in peace. (Read here why his TV end came 20 years too late.) She suspects that the entertainer couldn’t cope with being sidelined:

I don’t understand Mr. Gottschalk’s bitterness because he had – and still has – such a good life with his new wife. He has enough money, time and is healthy. […] Apparently there was betting that…? his only purpose in life. When everything revolves around your job, it’s hard to give it all up.
Maite Kelly

Schlager starlet Maite Kelly was hit particularly hard: Thomas Gottschalk gossiped about her curves and suddenly the whole of Germany was talking about the topic. She has no understanding for Gottschalk’s nasty comments. She accuses that body shaming can have dire consequences:

Thank God my father gave me enough self-love that jokes at the expense of my figure were the least of my concerns in life. But not every girl is lucky enough to have a dad like that. Therefore, such degrading sentences, actions or gestures are unacceptable.