Joko and Klaas: How they always cause a stir with their 15 minutes

15 minutes on ProSieben
First Iran, now the end of the broadcast: How Joko and Klaas always cause a stir

In their ProSieben show, Joko Winterscheidt and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf can regularly win 15 minutes of broadcasting time. They use them very differently. A selection of the serious and silly actions that stuck in the memory.

Since 2019, Joko Winterscheidt and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf have been competing against their employer in the game show “Joko & Klaas versus ProSieben”. The moderator duo can win 15 minutes of broadcasting time, which they can organize as they please. If they lose, the station sentences them to a penalty. The show is already in its fifth season on ProSieben, because Joko and Klaas have achieved something that only a few entertainers can do: they have established the fifteen-minute broadcast time as a column in which they effortlessly master the balancing act between serious political issues and silly slapstick. Two weeks ago, for example, they dedicated a program to Iranian activists and gave them their Instagram accounts. In the current episode on Wednesday evening, fun ruled again: Joko and Klaas literally pulled the plug on ProSieben and paralyzed broadcasting.

A selection of the serious and silly actions that were remembered:

May 2019, 15 minutes for “People who have more to say than we do”
With their first issue in May 2019, they set an example. They dedicated the show to “People who have more to say than we do. People who have a message and who deserve a little more attention”. A captain on a sea rescue ship, a homeless helper from the Berliner Bahnhofsmission and an activist who works against right-wing extremism all had their say. The spectators were surprised, but mostly enthusiastic about the action.

May 2020, 15 minutes on the topic of sexual harassment of women
Joko and Klaas caused another stir with their exhibition “Men’s Worlds”. The moderator duo was not seen on the show itself at the time, instead the author Sophie Passmann took over. She led through various exhibition rooms, all dedicated to one topic: sexual harassment and violence against women. In addition, prominent women such as Palina Rojinski, Jeannine Michaelsen and Stefanie Giesinger reported on their experiences.

September 2020, 15 minutes about the Moria refugee camp
In autumn 2020, Joko and Klaas addressed the refugee crisis in Europe and chose the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos as an example. There were catastrophic conditions there for years due to overcrowding, and in September 2020 there was a major fire. In their 15 minutes, Joko and Klaas described the fate of 21-year-old Milad from Afghanistan, who came to Greece by boat. “In the future, we want everyone to know what conditions exist in the middle of Europe. It’s only a two-hour flight away from where Germans go on vacation,” said Joko Winterscheidt at the time.

March 2021, 15 minutes about the care emergency
Joko and Klaas delivered what is perhaps the most spectacular show to date in spring 2021. Instead of the planned 15 minutes, they broadcast seven hours in order to depict the working day of a nurse in real time and draw attention to the nursing shortage in Germany. Employees of the University Hospital Münster served as protagonists.

April 2022, 15 minutes about the war in Ukraine
About two months after the Russian attack on Ukraine, Joko and Klaas broadcast a live concert from a bunker in Kharkiv. Ukrainian band Selo i Ludy performed three songs, including a rendition of Rammstein’s “Du Hast”. Band frontman Alex reported on the unbearable situation in English. “We are doing our best to survive. We are doing our best to protect the borders of the civilized world,” he said.

These actions caused laughter
Often enough, Joko and Klaas also use their 15 minutes for the silliness and dares that have made them known. In the fall of 2021, each swallowed a tiny pill-sized camera. Viewers could then see live images from inside the body. With the campaign, the moderator duo wanted to draw attention to the importance of preventive medical check-ups. A year earlier, they ran a pig through an art gallery, simply broadcast the program from rival broadcaster RTL, or created a call-in show to debunk corona myths.

Next Tuesday, Winterscheidt and Heufer-Umlauf will play again on ProSieben to win 15 minutes of broadcasting time. Should they win, viewers will be excited to see what they come up with this time: serious message or great fun.