Tom Kaulitz comes out on top over his wife Heidi Klum, Maria Furtwängler triumphs in a major moment, and Otto has yet another “reason to celebrate”: the German Television Prize has been awarded. At the TV gala in Cologne, there wasn’t a lot of queer visibility and no single mega-sweep, but there were several memorable moments.
Maria Furtwängler, already a veteran in the industry with a long list of accolades, looked visibly moved as she accepted the TV prize for Best Actress for the ARD/NDR film “Bis zur Wahrheit.” In the movie she plays a surgeon who, during a North Sea vacation, is raped by the son of her best friend. Furtwängler said that both hope and anger accompanied the project. “Anger that we still live in a society where it isn’t taken for granted that a woman can and should say ‘no’ at any moment, and that it doesn’t matter what she wears,” she said.
Also nominated for Best Actress was Swiss actress Melodie Simina for her role in the queer ARD series “Schwarze Früchte.” She ultimately did not prevail.
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In the men’s acting category, Leonard Kunz was honored for “Ein Mann seiner Klasse” (ARD/SWR/BR). The stark drama about poverty also won in the category “Best TV Film/Miniseries,” earning two TV prizes for the night. The ceremony’s double winners also included the medical drama “KRANK Berlin” (ZDF/Apple TV+) and the political thriller “Herrhausen — Der Herr des Geldes” (ARD).
A certain spice entered the jury’s decision-making in the “Best Entertainment Reality” category, awarding the trophy to the Tokio Hotel brothers Tom and Bill Kaulitz for their Netflix show “Kaulitz & Kaulitz.” The brothers stood out against “Germany’s Next Topmodel” (ProSieben), which is hosted by Tom’s wife and Bill’s sister-in-law, Heidi Klum. The Kaulitz brothers didn’t show any sign of family tension after receiving the prize. “Thank you very much! We would have loved to be there!” cried the openly gay Bill, who appeared via video link.
Prizes for the Joko-and-Klaas Universe
Two more awards went to the Joko-and-Klaas universe. Comedian Teddy Teclebrhan was honored for an episode of Joko Winterscheidt’s show “Wer stiehlt mir die Show?” (ProSieben), in which contestants try to steal Joko Winterscheidt’s hosting gig.
ProSieben’s “Ein sehr gutes Quiz (mit hoher Gewinnsumme)” by Winterscheidt and his partner Klaas Heufer-Umlauf was named the best entertainment show, beating out Günther Jauch with a special edition of his quiz classic “Wer wird Millionär?” (“25 Jahre – Das große Jubiläums-Special”).
Jauch did have something positive to share: he said he was “well advanced in his recovery.” The 69-year-old had appeared in his show “Wer wird Millionär?” on crutches. In a pre-broadcast RTL+ episode (airing September 15 at 8:15 p.m.), he hobbled into the studio on a mobility aid. At the after-party, Jauch explained what had happened: a fibula fracture near the ankle. “I must have twisted my leg badly. I didn’t even know you could break that bone just by twisting. But I think I’ll be fine,” Jauch told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. He wasn’t clutching crutches at the time.
Otto rolls through the stage in the Disco-Mobile
In the information segment, the broadcaster phoenix received an award for its parliamentary coverage. As Best Documentary, “Systemfehler: Der Cum-Ex Skandal” (ZDF/3sat) won. For Best Documentary Series, the jury chose “German Cocaine Cowboy — Der Deutsche im Cali-Kartell” (Prime Video).
It was already known that comedian Otto Waalkes would receive the lifetime achievement award. In a decidedly unusual opening ceremony, the 77-year-old was driven around the studio in a golf cart topped with a disco ball, flanked by dance couples, basketball players, and people dressed in firefighting costumes.
On stage Otto then performed several songs from his legendary catalog — including “Friesenjunge.” He also led the crowd in his party anthem “Wir haben Grund zum Feiern,” which had the entire hall singing along. “I never saw myself as a TV star,” Waalkes told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. “I used to perform in small clubs just to pay for my studies. I did serious folklore,” he recalled. Over time, he realized that the audience responded best when he leaned into his characteristic bumbling Otto persona and, somehow, everything fell into place. “Here I am,” he said.
The German Television Prize is funded by ARD, RTL, Sat.1, ZDF, and Deutsche Telekom. The leadership rotates year by year. In 2025, it will be MagentaTV’s turn for the first time. In carrying out the event, Telekom’s platform collaborates with ZDF, which broadcasts the TV gala.
