Thomas Gottschalk’s Bambi performance causes boos and massive criticism. Why his eulogy for Cher was irritating and what TikTok reactions look like – read now.
Thomas Gottschalk’s appearance at this year’s Bambi Awards in the Bavaria Studios caused question marks – and open boos. The 75-year-old appeared to be stumbling with his language, was confused several times and lost himself in anecdotes that neither dramaturgically fit nor did justice to the significance of the moment.
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Gottschalk’s Bambi appearance: irritation instead of sovereignty
His announcement of music legend Cher was particularly problematic: “The only woman I have taken seriously in my life,” said laudator Gottschalk – a sentence that not only sounded unsuccessful, but also seemed disrespectful. The fact that Cher herself had to slow him down on stage underlined the overall unpleasant impression. While Gottschalk started chatting, he moved in front of Cher and talked more about his own Bambi, who was burned to death in his Malibu home, than about the honorees’ life achievements. The 79-year-old singer reacted professionally, waited patiently and endured the situation with dignity. Gottschalk himself stated that he was “a little confused”. Particularly inappropriate for a moment of appreciation, he also shared his clumsy mnemonic about how he remembered the name “Cher”: “Cher, no one is as hard as Cher.” The room greeted his comments with audible belittlement and boos.
“What’s wrong with Thomas Gottschalk?” – Reactions on social media
The clips of his performance quickly spread on TikTok – the query “Gottschalk Bambi” quickly became a highly clicked search query. Many users commented in horror, spoke of “pure foreign shame” and demanded that Gottschalk should no longer be booked, “When will he finally be canceled?”
Criticism on TikTok of Gottschalk’s performance:
Recurring criticism of disrespectful statements
The Bambi evening is one of a series of recent moments in which Gottschalk made the headlines for thoughtless and derogatory comments towards women. Most recently, his moderation on “Wetten,dass..?” came under criticism when he confessed to rapper Shirin David that he didn’t recognize her as a feminist or her enthusiasm for opera and that he wasn’t a feminist himself, which he revised shortly later. The long-time “Wetten, dass…?” presenter announced his retirement as a TV show host in May 2025. A farewell broadcast is still planned for December – but it is still unclear whether this will actually take place and when and whether Gottschalk will withdraw completely from big stages.