Thomas Gottschalk has surprisingly spoken out: After one last tour, he wants to end his 50-year career. One thing particularly bothers him: Apparently, you’re not allowed to say anything anymore these days. Read the article to find out why Gottschalk is only hurting himself by doing this.
Thomas Gottschalk announces end of career: With his new book he wants to “say goodbye”
Thomas Gottschalk is quitting – at least that’s what he announced on Instagram on September 16th. The first sentence of his post already caused a stir: “Stefan Raab is coming back – I say goodbye!”said the senior entertainer. While Raab recently celebrated his celebrated TV comeback, Gottschalk now wants to hang up his TV career for good. However, he is not opting for a quiet exit: the entertainer wants to say goodbye with the publication of his new book “Unfiltered” – after a major reading tour throughout Germany.
The fact that Gottschalk is announcing his departure in the same breath as a new book project leaves a bitter aftertaste. Does the TV star really want to resign or is it a marketing strategy to promote the new book and tour? We all know the game from the music business: celebrated rock bands announce their big farewell tour – only to go on tour again two years later. Whether Gottschalk is really serious and will say goodbye to the stage after the reading tour is something only he knows at the moment.
Now also in written form: Gottschalk rants about the effeminate society
Thomas Gottschalk is a legend in the German media landscape. He began his career as a radio presenter at Bayerischer Rundfunk, then successfully made the switch to TV. Gottschalk was always known for his biting humor, which he tempered with a pinch of warmth. In 1987, he rose to the top of the TV Olympus: with Wetten, dass..? the blond-haired presenter won the hearts of TV audiences. Provocative, unconventional and always a little bit over-the-top – in the 90s, Gottschalk’s presenting style was absolutely en vogue.
But in recent years, the image of the perfect TV entertainer has been increasingly shaken. Gottschalk attacks society as being too woke – and loves to portray himself as a figurehead of freedom of expression. This view is also made abundantly clear in the post about his new book: “Raab has already let himself be beaten up. It is possible that I will also be beaten up for what I think! But I stand by it…”
The irony of the matter: Gottschalk is allowed to lament in front of an audience of millions that one is no longer allowed to say anything these days – restricted freedom of expression certainly looks different. Rather, Gottschalk seems to be bothered by the fact that he is increasingly being criticized for his crude statements. Is it cancel culture when subsequent generations criticize the antiquated opinions of a 74-year-old multimillionaire? In the disastrous last Wetten, dass..? broadcast, Gottschalk revealed that the broadcaster is demanding more political correctness – but that he does not want to comply with this request: “I now speak differently at home than I do on TV. And that’s not a great development. Before some desperate production manager runs back and forth and says you’ve just started another shitstorm, I’d rather not say anything at all.”
Gottschalk tramples on his own TV legacy: We would have wished this legend a more dignified end to his career
Gottschalk is currently confronted with a truth that hits many ageing media legends hard: The younger generation is making him feel hard that he is no longer in tune with the times. Many are fighting to stop sexist and discriminatory statements being spewed out onto the internet without comment – but Gottschalk feels personally attacked by this discourse. No wonder: He himself used to be known as a provocateur on TV who did a lot of things in a new way – so it must be even more painful to suddenly be one of the old guard himself.
This realization may be unpleasant, but the reason for the criticism certainly does not lie in a soft society. Rather, it is a generational conflict that has been repeated endlessly since the beginning of time: older generations are used to the fact that the world belongs to them, while the younger generations do everything they can to break up old structures. It remains to be hoped that Gottschalk will still find conciliatory words for the end of his career – but the promo for his new book nips this hope in the bud. If he had ended his career 20 years ago, the whole of Germany would be celebrating him as a TV legend today – but that fate is now denied to him.