Recommendations of the Editorial team
Dieter Hallervorden is again at the center of a racism debate. In the ARD anniversary show “75 years of ARD”, the comedian presented a new edition of his well-known sketch “in the merchant shop” on April 5, 2025-and used the N-word and the Z-word.
Dieter Hallervorden sits on a prison bed in the new edition of the sketch. But this time the well-known conversation with a fellow inmate is different: “Man, man, man, you, jail, you. If I had known that you no longer say that,” says Hallervorden-and then calls two common terms that are now racist: one for a chocolate sweetness, the other for a schnitzel with paprika sauce. The scene jokingly suggests that it ended up in prison because of the use of these words. There was no critical classification – the transmitter left the scene uncommented.
A lot of criticism, but also approval
There was then criticism on social networks. Numerous users: Inside, Hallerviden accused racist derailment. “Hallervorden has long been known for his racism, but it is horrified to make me unreasonable. That doesn’t work at all and is not a cavalier offense,” wrote a user on the X.
At the same time, there was also approval. Some defended Hall avades against the allegations and accused the critic: inside a “wave of outrage”.
Dieter Hallervorden about language: “a martyrdom”
It is not new that Dieter Hallervorden struggles with politically correct language use. In 2021 he described the gender as “martyrdom”. He also clearly commented on the Winnetou debate: “I think we live in a kind of sensitivity cult where other people want to tell us which slalom we allegedly have to circle alleged grease in the future,” he said in a current statement. “I take it as a patronization.”
Dieter Hallervorden: Racism allegations as early as 2012
Hallervorden was already confronted with allegations of racism in 2012. In his staging of the play I am not a rappaport in the Berlin Schlosspark Theater, a white actor appeared in Blackface – so with a dark make -up face to represent a black figure. At the time, critics accused him of serving racist stereotypes.
Dieter Hallervorden clearly rejected the allegations. “In my thoughts, there is absolutely no space for racism,” quoted him at the time the Austrian newspaper “The standard“. In his opinion, he asked provocative:” Do we think the allegations: Can Hall Avorden play a Jew, although he is not a Jew? Sigmar Gabriel is committed to measures against hunger in the world, even though he has fullness? ” The roles were not racially motivated: “We did not want to look for a white for the role of 80-year-old Midge, but we searched for the best possible solution from the acting point of view. According to our research at the time, a black stand.”