On Saturday evening, Thomas Gottschalk did what he loved to do one last time: be in the spotlight.Image: RTL
An era is coming to an end: On Saturday evening, Thomas Gottschalk said goodbye to the big stage. After almost two hours he left the show.
Dec 6, 2025, 10:49 p.mDec 6, 2025, 10:49 p.m
Last Sunday, Thomas Gottschalk announced that he had cancer. A few days later, the presenter was on stage for the last time. On the RTL show “Because they don’t know what’s happening,” the 75-year-old celebrated his departure from the show industry on Saturday evening, together with Barbara Schöneberger and Günther Jauch.
The trio took the stage promptly at 8:15 p.m. Gottschalk’s colleagues did the talking right from the start. While the entertainer in the middle simply smiled, Jauch and Schöneberger greeted the audience with a “good evening”. Thomas Gottschalk himself held back. When asked about his departure, he simply said that it would be his last Saturday evening show. “That’s what I’ve always said and I’m sticking to it.”
After two hours the time had come: Thomas Gottschalk left the show before the show was even over. After Mike Krüger, who was also a guest on “Because they don’t know what’s happening,” sang him a song, the 75-year-old said goodbye to his colleagues with a handshake.
He left the studio to thunderous applause. You don’t often see this on German television: “A man is retiring. He’s actually leaving,” he said on the way out. Gottschalk was greeted on the stairs by his wife Karina.
But why did Gottschalk leave the show early? The presenter was diagnosed with cancer in the summer. He suffers from epithelioid angiosarcoma. He has already had two operations and the healing process is not yet complete. He has been taking painkillers since the operations.
The show continued without Gottschalk. The St. Nicholas edition of “Because they don’t know what’s happening” is scheduled to run until midnight. In addition to Jauch, Schöneberger and Krüger, Giovanni Zarrella and Jörg Pilawa are also guests.
(t-online.de)
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