Thomas Gottschalk and his wife will not watch the Kaulitz twins' Wetten, dass..? return

Ticket demand

ZDF plans a one-time return of Wetten, dass..? on 5 December 2026 at 20:15, hosted by Bill and Tom Kaulitz, both 37, from the Messe hall in Halle (Saale). The hall holds about 2,600 spectators, according to the broadcaster. On 20 October, ZDF said on Instagram that 78,000 people had registered in the first two hours of the ticket lottery. Registration ran until 23 October, with up to four tickets available per successful entry. Earlier reports spoke of more than 250,000 ticket requests, while the total later given reached 288,000. ZDF described the response as a record, with earlier editions having drawn request numbers in the mid five-digit range.

Registrations in first two hours (20 October)78,000

Total ticket requests288,000

Registrations in first two hours (20 October)

78000 requests

Total ticket requests

288000 requests

Data from the article text

The hosts and the broadcast

Bill and Tom Kaulitz, members of the band Tokio Hotel, will front the episode, which is for now a single broadcast. The brothers are reported to be looking forward to the job, and viewers without a studio ticket can watch at home on ZDF. In an early 2024 podcast, Thomas Gottschalk reportedly criticised a possible takeover by the twins and said it would not be the right decision. At that time he had dismissed reports of such a plan as false. ZDF has since engaged the twins for the new edition, which is set for the evening of 5 December.

Gottschalks stay away

Thomas Gottschalk, 76, moderated the show for many years and bade farewell to it in November 2023 after 36 years. His wife Karina Gottschalk, 64, told the Munich-based Abendzeitung that the couple will not watch the new edition, saying:

“We are not at home, we are out with friends.”

Asked whether the twins can match the success of his era, Thomas Gottschalk declined to predict the outcome and told the same paper:

“The fate of 'Wetten, dass..?' lies in the hands of the audience.”

Over the years, many internationally famous guests appeared on his couch.

Health and home

Thomas Gottschalk made a serious cancer diagnosis public, a step the articles place about a year before this report. Karina Gottschalk told the Abendzeitung that the couple had been very lucky and that he is now considered cancer-free. She said they live every day as if it were their last. Their house in Gräfelfing has been converted and renovated, and it is now fully furnished.