Because he is older than the Pope: Thomas Gottschalk doesn't want to do any more shows on Saturdays

German TV audiences have become somewhat accustomed to saying goodbye to Thomas Gottschalk. He first said goodbye to "Wetten, dass..?" in 1992, and in 2011, he left the show for the second time. In 2023, he left the ZDF classic for the third and likely final time. Nevertheless, he always maintained a strong presence. But now he's going one step further and saying goodbye to his most important time slot altogether.

The Pope is younger than Gottschalk. "I've been in charge of Saturday nights for 35 years and had them under control," said Gottschalk on the RTL show "Because they don't know what's happening" – a format hosted by Barbara Schöneberger, Günther Jauch, and himself. However, he always emphasized that when the day comes when he's older than the Pope, it's over – and the newly elected Pontiff Leo XIV is 69 years old. However, the TV veteran agreed to appear once more in a farewell show at the beginning of December. The Bild newspaper had previously reported.

"I'll be 75 next Sunday (May 18), and that's the point where a presenter should say, 'I'm taking myself out of it,'" said the 74-year-old. At a time when many people in Germany expect a return to the 1990s in politics under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, this cult decade on television is now likely to come to a definitive end. Gottschalk is one of the most successful show hosts in the history of German television. He stands in the tradition of legends such as Rudi Carrell (1934-2006), Hans Rosenthal (1925-1987), Joachim Fuchsberger (1927-2014), and Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff (1921-1998). The last remaining show dinosaur of this caliber is "Wetten, dass..?" creator Frank Elstner (83).

During the heyday of "Wetten, dass..?", Gottschalk sometimes gathered nearly 18 million viewers. In 1995, they saw Michael Jackson hanging over the ZDF stage during "Earth Song." In 1998, they saw Götz George freak out because "Thommy" had allegedly been so poorly informed about his new film. In 2004, they saw Angelina Jolie wear a giant constrictor around her neck. Such talking points made the show a big hit.

Even outside of "Wetten, dass..?", Gottschalk was always very busy. At the age of 70, he won a trivia contest against Joko Winterscheidt: among other things, because he correctly remembered the hammer and compass on the GDR flag, rather than the hammer and sickle like Winterscheidt. This made him go from guest to host of the ProSieben show "Wer stehlt mir die Show?"

He also enjoyed top ratings with the surprise show "Because they don't know what's happening" on RTL right up until his announcement. So audiences shouldn't write him off by any means.

Gottschalk, however, has recently experienced more backlash when he expressed critical views on social issues. He has also been accused of sexism at times. In his book "Unfiltered," he discusses show business, the influencer scene, gender issues, and "Generation Z." He no longer cares whether what he says is politically correct, Gottschalk recently told dpa. "At my age, you don't have to be 'cool' anymore; I've been that my whole life." Christof Bock/dpa