Gil Ofarim was crowned king of the jungle by viewers. A decision that his colleagues cannot understand. Sonja Zietlow comments.
02/10/2026, 04:3802/10/2026, 04:38
Ricarda Heil / t-online
The grand finale of “I’m a Star – Get Me Out of Here!” took place on Sunday evening. instead of. More than five million people watched as Gil Ofarim was presented with the crown and scepter by Sonja Zietlow and Jan Köppen. Almost 67 percent of the calls went to the musician, who has made negative headlines in the past five years, mainly with an anti-Semitism scandal.
Sonja Zietlow supports jungle king Gil Ofarim.Image: rtl/t-online
Never has a celebrity’s participation been as controversial as Gil Ofarim’s. Before he moved into the camp, many jungle fans had said they wanted to boycott the RTL show. And yet the 43-year-old made it to the final – and even to the throne.
The singer in the jungle had always remained silent about the incident in 2021 in a Leipzig hotel. His colleagues asked him repeatedly, wanting to know what exactly had happened. Ariel in particular didn’t let up. But Gil Ofarim only ever replied: “I’m not allowed to say anything about it.”
In the big reunion of “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!”, one day after the jungle camp finale, Ariel explained that his silence had made her angry. “Let’s be honest: He was in here for this story. When we heard he was here, the whole of Germany was talking about this story. Then you also expect him to comment on it.”
Likes to make noise: Ariel from Basel in the jungle camp.Image: rtl
“He has already been asked several times”
Sonja Zietlow saw it differently and defended Gil Ofarim:
“I want to make one thing clear very quickly: He wasn’t necessarily in here because of the story. He had been asked several times for years before this scandal – as Gil, the singer. And probably in your eyes it was only the scandal that took hold and not Gil, the singer.”
The moderator believes that the other candidates had a very clear idea of “how he should have behaved”.
«He couldn’t fulfill the expectations you had of him at all. He was nice, he was submissive, he did work, he didn’t say anything. How could he have satisfied you?”
Gil Ofarim thanked Sonja Zietlow for her support and explained: “I think actions speak much louder than words. I have decided to be part of the team, to help the team, to go the extra mile, to take care of everything, to keep my values, to be polite, to be a gentleman, to think for myself.”
He had no strategy in the jungle camp. “I didn’t even know what this was about anymore,” said the musician.
“There are some things I don’t want to talk about. And there are things I’m not allowed to talk about because then there will be a consequence.”
Sources used:
- RTL: “I am a star – get me out of here! The big reunion” from February 9, 2025