Günther Jauch turns 70 - and looks back on a career that would be enough for several television lifetimes. From radio journalist to sports moderator to the nation's quiz master: Seven roles show why he remains one of the defining figures of German television to this day - and why he impresses even beyond TV.
1. The Go-Getter in Radio
Before Günther Jauch became a television face, his career began in radio broadcasting. In the mid-1970s, he dropped out of his law studies and transferred to the Deutsche Journalistenschule in Munich, which he completed two years later. He then worked as a sports moderator at Bayerischer Rundfunk. From 1983 to 1985, Jauch was a radio correspondent in Bonn. He abandoned a parallel degree in political science and modern history due to his journalistic activities.
Starting in 1985, he became the voice of a successful radio show alongside Thomas Gottschalk: The two co-hosted the B3-Radioshow until 1989. Gottschalk played records and entertained, Jauch informed. "He was the funny entertainment guy, I was the boring information uncle. We really played up these two poles," Jauch explained in the OMR Podcast, reflecting on the duo's success at the time.
2. The Sportsman
At the age of 29, Jauch moved to TV. He initially worked as a reporter and moderator for SDR, BR, and ZDF. At the latter, he hosted the entertainment show Na siehste! from 1987 to 1989. As early as 1988, he presented das aktuelle sportstudio for the first time. With sports broadcasts, Jauch gained early experience as a live moderator and connected to his interest in sports topics.
In 1990, he switched to RTL, where Jauch became one of the defining faces of the private broadcaster over the following years. Particularly legendary to this day is the so-called goalpost incident in Madrid: At the Champions League semifinal between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in April 1998, a goalpost collapsed before kickoff. Jauch bridged the long delay live on television together with Marcel Reif.
Sport also remained an important part of his RTL career later on. From January 2000 to December 2006, Jauch hosted the broadcaster's ski jumping coverage together with expert Dieter Thoma. The duo became audience favorites and consistently delivered strong ratings.
3. The Investigator of stern TV
From 1990 until his departure in January 2011, Günther Jauch successfully hosted the TV magazine stern TV. He welcomed prominent guests such as Angela Merkel, Gerhard Schröder, Céline Dion, Sylvester Stallone, David Copperfield, and Claudia Schiffer. "We wanted to do something completely new on German television: A mix of information and entertainment. We didn't want to have any reservations about politics, show business, comedy, or life advice," the moderator explained in an interview on the format's 30th anniversary. Jauch's great legacy was taken over by Steffen Hallaschka.
4. The Nation's Quiz Master
Günther Jauch has remained loyal to one show to this day: In 1999, he took over hosting Wer wird Millionär? - and with that, became one of Germany's most popular moderators at the latest. Jauch deliberately leaves open how long he will continue to present the RTL quiz format. He doesn't have a classic contract with the broadcaster, only a handshake agreement. Every year "we simply commit ourselves anew," he explained in the OMR conversation.
Fundamentally, he never wanted to do shows for half a year or even just two years, Jauch said two years ago in the Vaunet podcast. The RTL year-in-review shows had been his longest moderation activity until then. He experienced firsthand at ZDF that a collaboration can also end abruptly: The broadcaster didn't want to continue Sportstudio with him because he was also hosting soccer on RTL in parallel. Back then, he received a fax saying he didn't need to come in the following Saturday. "I didn't think that was so great, but the statute of limitations has expired," Jauch said in retrospect.
5. The Show Moderator
Günther Jauch is still the man for big TV evenings to this day. Whether year-in-review shows, fundraising campaigns, or special formats: The moderator has become a reliable anchor of major primetime shows over decades. He presented Die 5-Millionen-SKL-Show or 500 - Die Quiz-Arena on RTL or hosted the ZDF year-in-review Menschen and the Deutscher Fernsehpreis. The RTL year-in-review Menschen, Bilder, Emotionen (1996-2021) was also part of his portfolio for a long time. The show always kept Jauch busy over the years, as he once revealed in an interview with the DFB Academy: "Starting January 1st, every time something happens anywhere in the world, I have to think about it. Will this be a topic in the year-in-review? Do I need to make contracts now with the people I want to invite? How can I be the first to leave the competition behind? [...] You always have to bear that responsibility and can basically never switch off."
6. The Political Moderator
With his ARD talk show Günther Jauch, Jauch temporarily moved into political television (2011 to 2015). It wasn't his most permanently successful chapter, but a personally important one for him, as he revealed in the OMR Podcast. "That was very interesting and fascinating years for me," he explained about the phase. At the same time, the period was "very exhausting." There were repeated disputes within ARD about what was possible. Ultimately, he also gave up the show because he didn't have the journalistic freedom there "that had actually been agreed upon with me beforehand."
7. The Private Man from Potsdam
Günther Jauch masters the art of being famous without constantly being in the public eye. The moderator largely keeps his private life out of the public sphere; he lives with his family in Potsdam. In his television-free time, he has also built up a second career: as a winemaker. The von Othegraven winery on the Saar was founded in 1805 by Jauch's great-great-great-great-grandfather. It later went to his grandmother's brother and eventually to his great-aunt. Before her death in 1995, she adopted a niece from her family, "so the estate was out of our direct family line for 15 years," Jauch explained in an interview with About Drinks. "15 years ago, I heard by chance that it was to be sold. My wife and I now run it in the 7th generation."
Jauch is also successful as a winemaker: He was already named "Winemaker of the Year" by the Vinum Weinguide. Such awards are "rewards for equally hard and uncompromising work," he said. They mean a lot to his team - and personally even "more than most of the awards" he has received for television.
Another project of Jauch's is the Villa Kellermann on Heiliger See in the Brandenburg state capital, which he bought in 2016 and had restored in accordance with historical preservation standards. The upper floors contain luxury apartments. In 2019, Jauch opened the restaurant also located in the building together with star chef Tim Raue, who withdrew from operations in 2023, however. In 2024, operations were initially discontinued; in January 2025, operations resumed under a new name. For his commitment to further restoration projects in Potsdam, Jauch received the Order of Merit of the State of Brandenburg.
Will he ever document these many lives for posterity? "I have absolutely no ambition to write my biography," Jauch said in 2022 in the OMR Podcast. "I don't have this urgent need to communicate. I would bore myself telling other people about my life." This also fits with Jauch's motto, which he can certainly afford after his great successes: What is increasingly becoming his life's compass is the question: "What do I feel like doing? What brings me joy? I don't like to let myself be obligated anymore."
