“Bet that..?”
The Beauty and the Old White Man: Shirin David takes on Thomas Gottschalk as a farewell
On the surface, Thomas Gottschalk and Shirin David got along brilliantly – but clearly generations clashed.
© Andreas Rentz / Getty Images
No matter whether Thomas Gottschalk or Dieter Bohlen – no TV titan is safe from her: Shirin David. Also in the last edition of “Wetten,dass..?” Did the influencer and rapper cause unpleasant moments – a reason why the presenter gave up the show?
With Shirin David’s dazzling appearance alongside Helene Fischer, everything was still in order. The two singers appeared together at Thomas Gottschalk’s supposedly last “Wetten,dass…?” edition and performed a new version of the mega hit “Atemlos” (find out more here). A little later, the two power women sat down on the famous sofa – and from the first sentence it was clear that this could be uncomfortable.
Helene Fischer hardly played a role. The pop star – as always a professional – had a nice chat with Gottschalk and didn’t attract any attention. The show clearly stole the show from her and the presenter Shirin David, who has had a meteoric rise in recent years. Starting out as an influencer, the 28-year-old is now a singer (mostly rap), businesswoman and TV personality. Shirin David, real name Barbara Schirin Davidavičius, also had a place on the jury for “DSDS”.
Shirin David came onto Thomas Gottschalk’s couch full of self-confidence
In the last issue of “Wetten,dass..?” David has now left a lasting impression – Thomas Gottschalk will not have liked it much. Right at the beginning, the showmaster asked David if she had ever thought she would sit on his couch – after all, Shirin David’s generation grew up with the Saturday evening shows. Somewhat unexpectedly, the rapper said: “Yes.” The tone was set.
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Gottschalk then asked David about her love of opera – you couldn’t tell that she was a fan of classical music. You wouldn’t immediately guess her feminist side either, he added. What a faux pas. Instead of answering cautiously, there was a real crash.
Shirin David countered and asked Gottschalk: “Why not? Because I look good? As feminists, we can look good and we can be smart. Eloquent and beautiful at the same time. One does not exclude the other.” David was audibly instructive – Gottschalk had obviously triggered something in her. Fischer had to hold back her laughter.
Shirin David’s reaction is not surprising: she has been reduced to her appearance for years. That’s just part of her personality, she explained in detail in a recent edition of the “OMR” podcast. From an early age she learned to play various instruments and read a lot – her mother did not allow her and David’s sister to watch long television evenings and insisted that the two girls should educate themselves. Shirin David may not immediately notice it, but there is a lot more behind the facade of makeup and plastic surgery.
Even with “DSDS,” David didn’t put up with anything
You could already experience her dislike for the opinions of “old white men” during her time on “DSDS”. If he had looked it up briefly beforehand, Gottschalk could have avoided the unpleasant conversation. You can’t lead a Shirin David onto the ice without consequences.
This was followed by a short but relaxed conversation about favorite composers. For David it was Johann Baptist Strauss, she revealed. Then David put the gun on the showmaster’s chest: And who does he like? At this point she couldn’t get Gottschalk to work – he even managed to recite an excerpt from his favorite opera. So it’s not that easy to get a Gottschalk either.
It remained uncomfortable. Gottschalk asked David to tell something about himself – after all, he was new to “their business”. What was probably meant was the digital world. Shirin recalled that Gottschalk once said, “Influencers don’t belong on my couch.” Then she smiled and leaned back, noticeably relaxed. “I have to say it’s very comfortable here” – so the influencers have arrived after all.
Gottschalk rowed back: “I didn’t say that influencers…wait a minute! I didn’t understand influencers until now” – admittedly, he’s not alone in that. David wanted to know: “Do you understand her now?” Gottschalk coldly: “Nope.” He doesn’t have to.
David then tried to explain part of her career – that of being an influencer. The tone remained very didactic, but the battle lines had long since been resolved anyway. The other guests, who had had a break from broadcasting for what seemed like hours due to the format, were shown again and again – this much can be said: it wasn’t pleasant. A conversation between Shirin David and an “old white man” takes a lot of energy and embarrassment.
Is Gottschalk also quitting because of people like Shirin David?
The explanation of Shirin David’s career was somewhat successful, but later Gottschalk would come back to exactly this problem of understanding.
In his farewell speech, Gottschalk asked himself the question that he has apparently heard so often: “Thomas, why are you quitting?” Quite obviously: also because of people like Shirin. He pointed out two reasons: Firstly, it would be problematic if you had to explain the guests to him at some point and secondly, he obviously couldn’t say what he was thinking anymore, otherwise the production manager would come very quickly and announce the next “shitstorm”. Gottschalk unknowingly triggered it. Who is to blame for this is probably a matter of opinion.