Collien Fernandes makes serious allegations against her ex-husband Christian Ulmen.Image: www.imago-images.de
After the public allegations against her ex-husband, presenter Collien Fernandes spoke to Caren Miosga. She left some questions unanswered.
March 30, 2026, 06:07March 30, 2026, 06:07
Charlotte Zink / t-online
How can women be better protected from digital violence? The guests on Sunday evening’s German talk show hosted by Caren Miosga addressed this question. The conversation generated particular attention in advance because the actress Collien Fernandes, who recently made serious allegations (see also note at the end of the text) against her ex-husband Christian Ulmen, spoke in it. Ulmen’s lawyer described Fernandes’ participation as unlawful.
But the talk show didn’t really focus on the specific allegations against the actor. For the first quarter of an hour, moderator Miosga basically discussed the topic with Fernandes, whose public accusations have sparked a Germany-wide debate. Miosga also wanted to know whether she had expected so much reaction.
Fernandes explained that she expected a lot of hate and therefore avoided the Internet immediately after her story became known. However, she was “very surprised” by the huge positive response. The actress explained that thousands of people across Germany would take to the streets to demonstrate against sexualized digital violence against women, “I never expected that in my life.”
She accuses her ex-husband of having created fake profiles in her name for years and using them to communicate with numerous men. He also sent videos and pictures of a porn actress that appeared to show Fernandes naked or performing sexual acts, according to the accusation, which she renewed at Miosga. In some cases there was also telephone sex where men assumed they were talking to her.
Fernandes speaks “of the perpetrator”
Fernandes also reported in the studio:
“An erotic story was sent in which I was raped.”
She found out about the fake profiles in her name from a professional contact who believed he had flirted with her online and asked her about it at a meeting. Fernandes did not mention Ulmen’s name in her descriptions, instead she spoke exclusively of the “perpetrator”.
“What does it feel like when you discover that?” Miosga wanted to know about the fake profiles being exposed. However, the actress left the question unanswered. She also did not comment on how she felt about the fact that there were now investigations into the initial suspicion of stalking against Ulmen. Instead, she drew attention to structural problems with the topic of sexualized digital violence in several places.
It often happens that women who report digital violence find that the cases are dropped “due to insignificance,” criticized Fernandes. This sends a signal to those affected. “In Germany you don’t have to be surprised about this huge dark field,” she explained, referring to cases that are not reported. She found words of praise for the handling of similar cases in Spain, where there are stricter laws.
Hubig remains silent about Fernandes’ allegations
Fernandes has residence in both Germany and Spain. After she filed a complaint against Ulmen there, she received a comprehensive letter from him arguing why the case should definitely be brought under the jurisdiction of the German judiciary, she said. However, it has not yet been decided with certainty whether the case will ultimately be prosecuted in Spain or Germany. In Spain, there are far harsher penalties for cases of digital violence, Fernandes explained elsewhere.
In the run-up to the broadcast, Ulmen’s lawyer criticized the actress for wanting to comment on Miosga because it was an ongoing case. Miosga pointed out several times during the broadcast that Ulmen was presumed innocent.
In the second part of the program, Miosga discussed the topic of protection against digital violence with, among others, Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig. Hubig “did not want to comment at all” on Fernandes’ allegations, pointing out that it was an ongoing investigation. She had a clear answer to Miosga’s question about whether digital violence was not taken seriously enough in Germany. “Unfortunately I would say yes,” said the SPD politician. There are gaps in criminal liability on this issue that are to be closed in a new draft law. For example, in addition to the distribution, the creation of pornographic deepfakes should also become a criminal offense.
German Justice Minister Stephanie Hubig.Image: www.imago-images.de
Criticism of Chancellor Merz
“Süddeutsche Zeitung” journalist Ronen Steinke pointed out that tightening the law would probably only have a small effect on the frequency of digital violence. Instead, for prevention it is more important how aware the social environment is of the issue. Against this background, he criticized the reaction of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In a government statement on Wednesday, Merz referred to the issue of digital violence against women, that “a considerable part of this violence comes from the groups of immigrants to the Federal Republic of Germany.”
In a case in which the accused “is called Christian and couldn’t be whiter” to point the finger at immigrants, “that’s really shabby,” explained Steinke. It also prevents the discussion in society that so urgently needs it. Law student Theresia Crone, who herself has been affected by digital violence, also sharply criticized Merz. It feels as if her experience of violence was a political instrument, said the 23-year-old.
Miosga wanted to know from Hubig whether she also found Merz’s statement out of place. She wouldn’t say that, replied the Justice Minister. The Chancellor ultimately made it clear that he was against violence. She warned not to take your eyes off the actually important points in the debate.
Editor’s note: Christian Ulmen is accused by his ex-wife Collien Fernandes of having created fake profiles in her name over the years and using them to communicate with numerous men. According to Fernandes, he is said to have distributed artificially generated pornographic content that resembled her. The presumption of innocence applies to elms. His lawyer Christian Schertz announced that he would take legal action against the “initial reporting” by “Spiegel”.
Sources used:
- ARD program “Caren Miogsa” from March 29, 2026