Overview
- During a special edition of Denn sie wissen nicht, was passiert on December 6, the 75-year-old made his planned farewell and exited around 22:00–22:15 to avoid a late-night send-off.
- Gottschalk later posted on Instagram that he will devote the next six months to recovery and signed off with “I’ll be back,” thanking supporters for their encouragement.
- He disclosed an epithelioid angiosarcoma and described surgery that removed parts of his bladder and ureter, a thigh muscle cut to reach the tumor, and about 33 radiation sessions, with “brain fog” as a side effect.
- The broadcast drew roughly 2.41–2.42 million viewers (14.0% share) and 0.53 million aged 14–49 (16.7% share), giving RTL a primetime win in the younger demo.
- With Gottschalk, Günther Jauch and Barbara Schöneberger stepping back, RTL set Giovanni Zarrella and Jana Ina Zarrella for the next episode while the show’s longer-term hosting lineup remains undecided.