Overview
- His final appearance will be RTL’s Denn sie wissen nicht, was passiert! on Dec. 6 alongside Barbara Schöneberger and Günther Jauch.
- After the broadcast he intends to step back from public life for at least a year to travel with his wife, though he does not rule out occasional public comments.
- He explains the move as an acceptance of shifting industry conditions in which broadcasters would not launch new prime-time formats around him.
- Responding to speculation after his Bambi lapse, he says he would speak openly if he ever faced dementia and points to a steadier recent laudation for tenor Jonas Kaufmann, aided by his wife’s reminder to keep the focus on the honoree.
- He discloses a small statutory pension of roughly a “knappen Tausender” (previously cited as €915.79) and says he feels no bitterness about stepping away.