Recommendations of the Editorial team
Christian Ulmen’s professional future remains open at the moment. While the actor, director and producer is still under investigation in connection with allegations made by his ex-wife Collien Fernandes, a labor law conflict is now also occupying the courts.
Termination without notice at “The Au Pair”
The focus is on the planned streaming series “The Au Pair”. The production company Pajama Pictures terminated Ulmen’s several contracts without notice on April 15, 2026. This affects agreements as screenwriter, director and editor as well as an exclusive agreement for the extensive project.
According to the production company, the terminations are related to the allegations against Ulmen. The company also points out overlaps in content between the allegations and elements of the series script. According to media reports, “The Au Pair” addresses, among other things, digital identities and the handling of private and intimate content on the Internet.
Employee status as a central argument
Ulmen rejects all allegations made against him. He has filed a lawsuit against the dismissals before the Berlin Labor Court.
According to information provided to “Welt” and the Vienna “Standard”, he is of the opinion that he was employed as an employee during production. This could have an impact on the employment law assessment of the dismissals and the scope of possible protection against dismissal.
Investigations by the Potsdam public prosecutor’s office
Ex-wife Collien Fernandes is known to accuse Ulmen of domestic violence and digital assault. The Potsdam public prosecutor’s office is investigating suspicions of bodily harm and stalking; further allegations are being investigated. Ulmen denies the allegations. The presumption of innocence applies until a final decision is made.
The Berlin Labor Court has initially scheduled a conciliation hearing with Pajama Pictures for June 22, 2026. An out-of-court settlement should be explored. If no agreement is reached, the process is likely to continue for a longer period of time.
The impact on Ulmen’s professional activities is immense. Several projects were terminated or not pursued further after the allegations became known. It is not possible to conclusively assess what long-term consequences this will have for him.
Collien Fernandes appears at the Deutsches Theater
On Sunday, June 28, 2026, Collien Fernandes will appear in the hall of the German Theater as part of the sixth edition of the “Tagesspiegel Capital Talks” series.
Under the title “The Price of Courage,” she talks to editor-in-chief Christian Tretbar and deputy editor-in-chief Laura Himmelreich about her fight against sexualized digital violence as well as the personal and social debates that followed the case against her ex-husband. The event is already completely sold out in the Tagesspiegel ticket shop.