Thomas Gottschalk
These are the reasons for his “Wetten, dass..?”-off
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The “Wetten, dass..?” era with Thomas Gottschalk comes to its definitive end in November. Now the TV legend spoke up.
Entertainer Thomas Gottschalk (73) has himself via Instagram in detail about his somewhat surprising end as a “Wetten, dass ..?” moderator. In a long post, he first announced that it was his decision to “pull the plug”. It’s not easy for him, but: “The great times of Saturday evening entertainment, which is talked about everywhere on Monday, are over.” He himself is grateful that he was able to experience and help shape it.
“Before an author writes down the gags before the show and they put a plug in my ear, which an editor uses to constantly give me ‘shitstorm warnings’ or explain to me which ‘celebrity’ is sitting next to me, I walk away Hof”, said Gottschalk about the reasons for his decision. Nevertheless, this does not mean a complete farewell to the screen, he still believes “in the power of television”.
Just last week he sat next to Leonardo DiCaprio (48) in a beach restaurant in Ibiza, who also sat on his “Wetten, dass ..?” couch. Such superstars should also know: “At some point another star will get his place on the beach. Everyone has to go through it!”
In the last edition of “Wetten, dass..?” with Thomas Gottschalk on November 25, his longtime co-moderator Michelle Hunziker (46) will not be part of the party. Gottschalk also commented on this without giving any precise reasons for her absence: “One or the other will see her in my last issue of ‘Wetten, dass..?’ miss and maybe forget that it was me who got her on the show and that ZDF didn’t put her at my side as a ‘caring night nurse’ because I didn’t know where to go anymore.” He has grown fond of Hunziker and she will always have a place there.
He also invited her to the last show, if only to thank her with a bouquet of flowers for the time we spent together. And addressed directly to his colleague, Gottschalk writes: “Michelle, if you’re reading this, the invitation is there!”
How about “Wetten, dass..?” further?
“Bet that..?” was originally discontinued in late 2014. Almost seven years later, in November 2021, the format returned. The actually unique comeback of the show classic was so successful with almost 14 million viewers on home devices that ZDF could not avoid planning further editions. A second show with Gottschalk followed in 2022, and the third in 2023.
Whether and how the format will be continued is currently still in the stars. This question was not discussed in a statement by ZDF about the end of Gottschalk. The magazine “Bunte” said program director Nadine Bilke: “We’re really looking forward to the last big ‘Wetten, dass..?’ show with Thomas Gottschalk.”