TV award
Otto Waalkes gets a television award for his life’s work
When Otto Waalkes was first seen on television, Willy Brandt was still a chancellor. Now the comedian is awarded for his long career. He comments on the honor in his own way.
A strong “Holladahiti!” For this award: Comedian Otto Waalkes (77) receives the German television award for his life’s work. This was announced by the founders of the award a week before the award at a large TV gala in Cologne. “I personally feel very honored,” said the Hamburg Waalkes of the German Press Agency.
The comedian is recognized for his humor, who accompanied whole generations. Waalkes is a “gifted comedian and one of the most versatile entertainers in German television history,” emphasized Arnim Butzen, TV leader of Telekom and chairman of the German television award 2025. “He has shaped the understanding of humor in this country since the 1970s.” To this day, Otto people with his musicality, his wit and his timing – and with his Ottifants.
“As a founder of the German television award, we bow to an artist who keeps sharpening our eyes for the absurdities of life and talks to ourselves with his seemingly insatiable lust for the upscale nonsense,” said Butzen.
From Emden to national television
Waalkes – who is also a musician, actor, director, voice actor and artist – has a long TV history. In 1973, the son of a painter, born in Emden in East Frisia, received his own TV show, which ran about once a year until the early 80s and became a hit-the third edition, for example, achieved a ratio of 44 percent, according to the television award archives. Waalkes rose in his role as a fidgety (“Holladahiti!”) Tausendsassa. A national event became a north German local phenomenon.
The 77-year-old was also seen in all kinds of productions in recent years. In the comedy hit “Lol-Last One Laughing” by Amazon Prime Video, in which celebrities want to make each other laugh, the comedian legend was revered by the younger colleagues in 2024.
View of the changes on TV
Waalkes said that he doesn’t watch TV today – “and if so, then mostly formats where television does not try to compete with the cinema: comedy, documentation, sports broadcasts.” He sees the changes in the industry in recent years rather positive. “Television has received a lot of competition on the Internet and by streaming, and if it is true that competition revives business, that would be a glimmer of hope,” said Waalkes of the dpa.
He is honored to get the honorary television award – and also “surprised”, as he added. “My old TV shows were recently provided with warnings,” he said. “That shows how serious German television takes the comedy.” He played a humorously on a debate from 2023. At that time, the WDR had shown a note before an Otto show from the 1970s (“The following program, as part of television history, was shown in its original form. It contains passages that are considered discriminatory today.”).
This is the German television award
The German television award is carried by ARD, RTL, Sat.1, ZDF and Deutsche Telekom. The streaming providers Disney+, Netflix and Prime Video appear as partners. Apple TV+ for the first time in 2025.
The leadership changes year after year. In 2025 it is for the first time with MagentaTV. During the implementation, Telekom’s offer works with the ZDF, which will broadcast the large TV gala on September 10th. Otto should accept the price there.
dpa
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
