Did Fahri Yardim use ChatGPT? His statement about Christian Ulmen and Collien Fernandes causes confusion – and one quote leaves many perplexed.
Since Collien Fernandes accused her ex-husband Christian Ulmen of digital violence on Thursday, March 19, many people have been waiting for a statement from Fahri Yardim. As is well known, he was Ulmen’s co-star in the series “Jerks” and was also a close friend of the actor and director.
Long-awaited statement
On Sunday evening, Yardim contacted us via Instagram – and is well aware of his delay. “So. Late. Incomplete,” he begins his statement. “I am as shocked as many others,” he wrote, and continued: “I admire Collien’s courage. I am grateful for the support she is receiving. I feel for her.”
In his statement, Yardim emphasized that for him it was a fundamentally normative attitude to believe the victims – and at the same time made it clear how great the shock was for him personally. He is aware that his hesitation could also be read as a positioning. “I don’t want to romanticize this ambiguity,” he wrote.
Paragraphs that are difficult to understand are put together – that’s how the statement read. Many people on social media therefore suspected that the actor used ChatGPT to make his statement. Due to its complexity, the text seemed cryptic and not very personal to many.
At the end of his statement he announced: “This is not a final answer.” Yardim responded to the subsequent criticism with the words: “It’s true, the text is cerebral. Also an expression of my overwhelm. And a part of me that is currently desperately taking over crisis mode.” He also added: “I’ll get back to you when I find my heart again.”
Yardim and Ulmen starred together in the comedy series “Jerks” from 2017 to 2023. two friends. The series featured fictionalized versions of the two, who also appeared as best friends in real life.
Benjamin from Stuckrad-Barre takes a clear position
Author Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre, also a friend of Christian Ulmen, had formulated his statement earlier and more clearly than Yardim. He clearly took Collien Fernandes’ side and wrote: “Digital sexualized violence is violence. And with violence everything, really everything, ends… Collien has, without any ifs or buts, become the victim of horrific digital violence, and apparently also at the hands of Christian. My sympathy, my solidarity belongs solely to her.” He also called on all men to be more attentive to violence and violent behavior and not to protect perpetrators: “I have to clearly distance myself from my friend Christian here, I have to state this clearly, because silence could, not entirely wrongly, be interpreted as approval.”
The feedback on his statement was clearly positive.
The Ulmen case and the debate about digital violence
Ulmen is accused by his ex-wife Collien Fernandes of, among other things, sending fake nude photos in her name for years. The case sparked a broad debate about sexualized digital violence and how to deal with it in Germany. On March 22nd, a rally against digital violence took place at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Another demo will be held in Hamburg on March 26th.
