He spoke openly about his tumor – now Torsten Sträter is back. New program, new performances & a message against stigma.
Anyone who has observed the German comedy scene in recent years simply couldn’t ignore one name: Torsten Sträter. He became an icon for many fans not only because he has a Batmobile at home and is a trained tailor. Thanks to his humor, Sträter has become a German comedy idol that everyone seems to agree on across generations.
This may also be because it addresses a pervasive problem in society that has remained silent for far too long: depression. Torsten Sträter is not just a figurehead for the public debate about depression and thus helps many people affected. It destigmatizes. His dealings with depression ultimately resulted in a Grimme Prize for a conversation he had with Kurt Krömer, who also suffered from the illness. And now?
New diagnosis: tumor
But in April there was a shock for many fans. “The beard [rieselt] on the sweater,” Sträter wrote on his website. The new diagnosis is tumor. It was difficult for him to cancel the upcoming comedy appearances and reveal his diagnosis. Because it “seems to be just as stigmatized as the depression thing. Statistically speaking, almost every second person is affected,” as he told the news agency “Spot on news”. Ultimately, he wanted to tell his loyal fans the reasons for his absence. And before Gudrun from next door came up with the idea of involving the shamans, the comedian assured that he was in the best hands. There is another update from him now, in mid-May 2026.
Return to the stage
The peonies have now opened and the peak of the pollen season has passed. Torsten Sträter appears again. The best way to check the extent to which the beard has grown back is probably in one of the front rows of his show. His new program “The Cyclops of Saint-Tropez” starts in September 2026 – that is definitely planned.
If you don’t want to wait that long, you can see him again from May 14th in the Amazon comedy series as a participant in “LOL – Last one Laughing” or in the current stage program “Turn on the big light”.
