There were many indications that Stefan Raab would go through with it - no more big TV appearances, ever. But now the "Raabinator" is boxing on TV once again - and has announced a show comeback.
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- Former entertainer Stefan Raab shows courage in his spectacular television comeback.
- He stepped into the ring against former world boxing champion Regina Halmich - for the third time. And this time supposedly for the last time.
- After his defeat in the boxing ring, Raab announced his return to showbiz for next week.
Stefan Raab is returning to television. "I've been thinking about it: I'm doing shows again," said the entertainer on Saturday evening in Düsseldorf. "It starts next week." He will work for the streaming service RTL+ for at least the next five years. The start is next Wednesday. There is a million euros to be won every week. The name: "You won't win the million here."
Raab is thus returning after a long absence from the screen. He largely withdrew from the public eye in 2015. Since then, he has been working behind the scenes.
On Saturday evening, shortly before the announcement, Raab had suffered his third defeat in the boxing ring against Regina Halmich. The 57-year-old - well-trained and white-haired - was on the defensive and immobile from the start. Halmich (47) won on points. She lamented: "You made it difficult for me. You didn't show your face once." Raab countered: "I'm not a geriatric nurse. I'm a sportsman."
Long-time presenter Raab had initially delayed his return to the screen on Saturday night's show and then allowed himself to be celebrated almost religiously by the audience.
It was the entertainer's third encounter against the former world boxing champion Halmich from Karlsruhe. Fists were already flying in 2001 and 2007. The man from Cologne lost to the woman from Karlsruhe then too.
Raab was successful with his anarchic style
Raab, whose career blossomed at the former music channel Viva, was long regarded as an innovator in TV entertainment with his anarchic style. For years, he mainly shaped the program of RTL competitor ProSieben, among other things with his show "TV total" and the game show "Schlag den Raab".
He also competed for Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000 ("Wadde hadde dudde da?") and was instrumental in Lena Meyer-Landrut winning the music competition in 2010. In 2013, he was even one of the presenters of the TV duel between the then German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her challenger Peer Steinbrück.
Then, in 2015, there was an abrupt break. Raab declared that he would retire from the screen ("I have decided to hang up my TV shoes at the end of this year"). Since then, he has worked in the background of the industry. His old show "TV total", for example, is now hosted by Sebastian Pufpaff.