“I’m still sorry that I hit my son today,” said Gottschalk at the start of his reading tour for his new book “Unfiltered” in the evening in Hamburg. “I never raised my son with slaps in the face. I am against any form of violence,” emphasized the former “Wetten, dass…?” moderator.
The criticism came in the middle of the advertising campaign for his new book. Weather expert Jörg Kachelmann, who prominently denounced on There was then a lot of criticism online about the former “Wetten, dass…?” presenter, but there were also understanding and supportive reactions.
“Out of the question and disgusting”
Many commented on the two slaps in the face for Gottschalk’s sons described in the book “Herbstblond”, which was published in 2015, as out of the question and disgusting. Others, however, defended Gottschalk by referring to the educational methods that were common at the time – or argued that “a wad never harmed anyone.” Parents are forbidden from hitting their children in Germany: Since 2001, the Civil Code has enshrined the right of children to a non-violent upbringing, which includes not only physical punishment but also psychological injuries and other degrading measures.
At the start of his reading tour, Gottschalk also told the audience how the slap came about: “We came into a store like this, there was a record playing, Paul McCartney was singing and he thought, you have to scratch with it. There “I just reacted. That was a slap in the face that I still regret today,” said the showmaster. In “Herbstblond” Gottschalk also describes how he once “smacked his son Roman uncontrollably because he dropped three scoops of vanilla ice cream in front of the ice cream counter.”
“Don’t be so nasty to Mr. Gottschalk”
Bavaria’s Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) came to Gottschalk’s defense: “Dear Mr. Kachelmann, please light up your wood stove, make yourself a nice potato soup and don’t be so nasty to Mr. Gottschalk. I bet you’ll feel better then works?!” he wrote on X.
Gottschalk has recently caused a stir with controversial statements. Gottschalk emphasized with regard to his new book “Unfiltered” that he no longer takes any consideration whether what he says is politically correct. He announced that he wanted to live with the consequences of this attitude. “At my age you don’t have to be ‘cool’ anymore, I’ve been that way all my life.”
Most recently, the entertainer, who previously also appeared with men’s jokes, caused offense with statements about physical contact with female guests, for example with the Spice Girls at the end of the 90s. “I touched women on TV purely for work purposes. Like an actor who kisses in a film because it’s in the script. I won’t let that be accused of an attack,” he told “Spiegel”. Nevertheless, he would leave it alone today.
