Moving farewell
“Today we are all a little bit Gottschalk”
Thomas Gottschalk is battling cancer, but the entertainer did not want to miss his big TV farewell this Saturday evening. Gottschalk not only spoke openly about retirement, his illness and the future, but also thanked his audience. And finally left the stage to thunderous applause!
For 48 shows and seven years, Thomas Gottschalk, Barbara Schöneberger and Günther Jauch have provided plenty of great TV moments on the RTL show. This Saturday evening, the trio called it a day. It was to be a farewell with one laughing and one crying eye, that much was already clear at the beginning of the show.
Gottschalk, Jauch and Schöneberger received a frenetic welcome from the audience at the start of the show. Gottschalk's wife Karina also cheered on her Thomas. "We're all a bit Gottschalk today," declared Schöneberger, visibly moved.
"I'm looking forward to retirement"
However, it became particularly emotional when Gottschalk finally spoke openly about his TV farewell, but also about his cancer and his wishes for the future. "I'm fine, I'm looking forward to retirement," Gottschalk explained. Others would have experienced this much earlier, he said, but for him it is now 75 years old. But he had experienced the best time on TV.
"Cancer in particular is something very private, you don't really like to talk about it," said Gottschalk about his illness. His wife Karina discovered that something was wrong. She finally "dragged him to the doctor". He was then operated on immediately, Gottschalk explained. Part of the ureter and part of the bladder had to be removed.
Gottschalk thanks the audience
His lapses during his last appearances, such as the Bambi awards, were also discussed. "I have this so-called brain fog. It gets worse the later it gets." This has happened to him from time to time during his career, Gottschalk grinned. "But I don't know if it was due to illness at the time."
33 radiotherapy sessions were necessary. "It wasn't exhausting. But nothing stresses me out. Even talking to you doesn't exhaust me," Gottschalk was still in a joking mood despite the difficult months that lay behind him.
Gottschalk also said that further examinations were due shortly. "I hope it doesn't happen" that the cancer has returned. "And I assume that it won't happen. I am an optimist." In any case, it gives him an incredible amount of strength when he realizes that the audience is behind him. Gottschalk thanked his fans for the many kind messages he had received over the past week.
"I've done every kind of crap"
Gottschalk was in the spotlight for more than 50 years. His summary? "Everything was worth it, I didn't have to spare myself anything. I never said no. I did all kinds of crap!" He has no regrets. He was an "early influencer", so to speak.
"I did everything I did just for the people," Gottschalk continued. He always wanted to deliver the best possible show and provide the best possible entertainment - for his audience. But: "It goes up to a certain point and then no more."
"At 75 is the right time to say I'm calling it a day," said Gottschalk. Could he get bored? "I'm afraid so, but then I'll call you, Günther."
And after a serenade from Mike Krüger to his buddy Tommy, it was finally the end for the great entertainer Gottschalk. Gottschalk left the studio shortly after 10 p.m. to thunderous applause. A moving farewell - even for his colleagues: "Now we have to do it alone ..."
Gottschalk in a good mood at his TV farewell
Beforehand, Gottschalk proved time and again that he is far from losing his wit. At the beginning, for example, he joked that he was always better dressed than his colleagues. "I thought I'd keep it up until the end," he explained with a wink. "Special guest" Mike Krüger, who hosted the show, was of course unable to disagree.
And the banter also rolled between Gottschalk and Krüger: "I'm not the only one who can overdo it," joked the entertainer, for example, when his "Super Noses" buddy didn't want to get to the point when presenting the first game.
And when Schöneberger received applause for her freshly changed glamorous outfit after the first commercial break, Gottschalk cheekily interjected: "Jauch has changed too, but nobody notices!"
Big Gottschalk quiz gives goosebumps
The Gottschalk quiz, in which questions were asked about the TV legend's career, was certainly a special moment. For example, the name of the BRAVO sequel penned by Thomas Gottschalk. For those who didn't know: "Der Sprung ins lila Himmelbett" was the correct answer.
"I wrote the novel, but the title came from the BRAVO editor-in-chief," Gottschalk revealed. One question was also devoted to Gottschalk's habit of often overdoing his shows.
Click through the best photos of the evening here:
In between, Gottschalk also gave Mike Krüger an extraordinary compliment. "In case you missed it, I've just received high praise from Thomas Gottschalk," said Krüger. "He said: 'You're presenting like I did on "Wetten, dass..." back then'."
In the games, in which the ages of celebrities such as Gottschalk and Queen Camilla had to be guessed, "Tik Tak Tor" had to be guessed correctly and the presenters were given a good shake in the car lottery, the well-rehearsed team around Thomas Gottschalk competed against Jörg Pilawa and Giovanni Zarrella.
Fans pay tribute to the Gottschalk legend
Gottschalk's farewell on Saturday evening was naturally also the number one topic on social media. "When I hear Gottschalk's voice, I immediately think of the past. Many good hours spent in front of the TV with my parents or former friends watching 'Wetten, dass...? It was a good time," said one fan, waxing rather sentimental.
Another also has nothing but fond memories of Gottschalk's TV career: "Thomas Gottschalk gave us so many wonderful hours in front of the TV. In the past with my grandmother and today with my own child. In contrast to the inflationary use of the term legend, Thomas Gottschalk really is one."
Another was delighted to be able to see the brilliant duo Gottschalk and Krüger once again: "Mike Krüger and Thomas Gottschalk are the Joko and Klaas of the 80s." And another sadly stated: "Without Thomas Gottschalk, Saturday evening entertainment is dead for good."
"Please don't worry"
Gottschalk had already contacted his fans via Instagram that morning. "Please don't worry about me," appealed the show host, who not only got so many people in front of the television in his decades-long career, but also entertained them in the best possible way.
He added: "You know that I take a positive approach to things. I'm doing the same in this case." And even without mentioning his cancer diagnosis, everyone knows what he was referring to.
Watch Thomas Gottschalk's touching video message here:
50 years in show business
For decades, Thomas Gottschalk shaped German show business with his quick wit, off-the-cuff remarks, flashy outfits and international superstars on the guest list. The entertainer became a legend with the ZDF classic "Wetten, dass...?
He has around 50 years in show business behind him. Even though he always emphasized his love of radio, it was television that catapulted Gottschalk into the A-league of show hosts. At Bayerischer Rundfunk, he showed off his talent as a presenter and his flair for situation comedy and quick wit. In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, he then managed to gather millions of people in front of their television sets on ZDF.
More than just a steamy chatterbox
The show host proved that he was not just a vaporous talker. He showed himself to be human and approachable in his dealings with contestants. The celebrities on the famous betting couch got their fair share of ribbing and had to put up with cheeky remarks and sometimes shallow chit-chat. Gottschalk saw himself as an entertainer.
His garish outfits, the bets, most of which were as funny as they were nonsensical, and the superstars - just think of Michael Jackson's appearance - were a regular talking point. In 2011, after the serious accident involving contestant Samuel Koch, Gottschalk put an end to "Wetten, dass...?".
Show flops and criticism
For Gottschalk, the TV success and the hype surrounding him was once so great that he emigrated to California with his wife at the time, Thea, and their two sons.
Not every show that Gottschalk hosted was a ratings hit. With his late-night show on RTL, he set standards in the mid-1990s, while formats such as "Gottschalks Hausparty" on Sat.1 have since been largely forgotten. He was also criticized for his appearances on the "Supertalent" jury alongside Dieter Bohlen.
"Wetten, dass...?" revival in front of almost 14.5 million viewers
On Gottschalk's 70th birthday, ZDF announced a comeback of "Wetten, dass...?" for 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this took place a year later - and turned into a highly acclaimed revival in front of almost 14.5 million viewers. Criticism of Gottschalk then grew louder again during two further editions of the show in 2022 and 2023.
The show host was increasingly offended by his comments. Be it in his now defunct "Supernasen" podcast with Mike Krüger or in interviews. When he said in "Der Spiegel" in 2024: "I touched women on TV purely for business. Like an actor who kisses in a movie because it's in the script. I can't be accused of that as an attack", the outrage was great. Even though Gottschalk added that he wouldn't do that again.
Karina has Gottschalk's back
In his private life, Thomas Gottschalk has found a late second love: with his wife Karina, who also stands by him like a rock in his fight against cancer.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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