German TV host Thomas Gottschalk defends himself: "I touched women on TV purely for work"
Thomas Gottschalk: "Ich habe Frauen im TV rein dienstlich angefasst."
Der Dienst: pic.twitter.com/gvAQcQhFEF
- Marko Kovic (@marko_kovic) October 11, 2024
Remember that bonkers German entertainment show "Wetten Dass...", where wild combinations of stars would sit on the couch and watch people trying to win bets?
Well, in a recent interview, former "Wetten Dass"-host Thomas Gottschalk was asked about him touching the Spice Girls' knees when they were on his show in the past as guests.
He got defensive and said "I had no sexual interest in the Spice Girls. They were guests on my show in the 90s and also tugged at me. Besides, they did sing »If you wanna be my lover«."
The interviewer then says that the song lyrics were not an invitation to touch, which then made Gottschalk go "I touched women on TV purely for work. Like an actor, who kisses on camera because that's what's on the script. I can't be accused of that as an attack. But still, I wouldn't do it today because I know that certain things are now politically incorrect that weren't back then. Today, I also don't step in an elevator anymore, where only a woman is standing in. What if she's running out at the second floor and shouts »#MeToo, he touched me!«?"
Source: spiegel, bluewin, twitter, translations by bluewin and me
The clip is just 🤮