Jan Hofer will be giving up his job at “RTL Direkt”. He has now spoken about the private reasons in an interview.
Jan Hofer (74) will soon be making his last appearance as presenter of the news program “RTL Direkt” (also ). “Many thanks to Jan for his commitment to us over the past few years,” it says about Hofer’s last broadcast on August 29th. In an interview, the long-time “Tagesschau” presenter has now spoken about his departure from the news format after three years and the personal reasons.
Jan Hofer: “Children want their daddy”
“Everyday life with my wife and son has been significantly affected,” he says. He has been away from home for more than half the year because he was in Berlin for “RTL Direkt” and his family lives in Mallorca. “I have only seen my son grow up temporarily, and that is no fun,” says Hofer. “And the goodbyes from him when I travel to Berlin are getting longer and more tearful. Children are merciless, they want their daddy.” For four years he has been commuting between Berlin and Mallorca, where his son also goes to school. “He now speaks four languages perfectly: English, German, Spanish and Catalan.”
Hofer continues, he keeps fit for his child with a personal trainer and visits to the gym. “My son’s school regularly organizes soccer tournaments with the parents. The last time I was able to go, he was extremely proud, but before that there were times when I wasn’t, and that’s stupid.”
In mid-June 2024, Hofer was quoted by RTL as saying about his departure: “Establishing a completely new news format on such a prominent time slot was a very exciting and challenging task. Now the time has come when I also want to see my son grow up. He is only eight and he would really like to play football with his dad more often.”
In October 2018, Hofer married his partner Phong Lan, who is 28 years younger than him and the mother of his son, who was born in 2015. He has three other children from a previous relationship.
What are Hofer’s plans for his departure?
Jan Hofer has been part of the “Tagesschau” announcer team since 1985, and was appointed chief announcer in 2004. At his last edition of the ARD news program in mid-December 2020, Hofer said goodbye in a dark suit and red tie, which he then loosened and placed next to him on the desk that had been part of his workplace for so many years.
Hofer told the RND that he hasn’t planned anything specific for his departure from “RTL Direkt”. “I can’t take off my tie anymore. I think I’ll just say a few words and thank my colleagues and the viewers.” The tie thing was also misunderstood. “I have nothing against ties, I think ties are a nice accessory for certain occasions. With this gesture I just wanted to get rid of the uniform and show that I am now free from all the constraints I have been under up to now.”
After Hofer’s departure, Pinar Atalay (46) will be the sole main presenter; the two have been taking turns hosting “RTL Direkt” since August 2021. She will be represented by “RTL Direkt” editor-in-chief Lothar Keller (59). He was previously part of the extended presentation team of the “RTL Nachtjournal”.
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.
