Jannik Kontalis (29) is fighting back. Exactly one week after the launch of the third season of "Kaulitz & Kaulitz" on Netflix, the reality star released a paid podcast on Thursday evening in which he says he wants to speak plainly. He released a few excerpts in advance. They are a clear reckoning with the docuseries, with Bill Kaulitz (36), and with his public perception.
For seven days, Kontalis had let the debate about him run its course. In the new episodes of the Netflix show, he is a guest at the housewarming party for Bill's new pool in summer 2025, where the two eventually kiss in the water. Some were reminded of Bill's brief relationship with Marc Eggers (38) in the first two seasons.
Tom Kaulitz's verdict on the reality star is harsh in the series: "These lowlifes from German trash TV" are bad candidates for his brother. Jannik may be "a nice guy", but he's not a good fit. Stylist Sara Alviti is also reminded of the unhappy liaison with Eggers and wishes Bill someone who wants to be more than a "Fun Boy". Among viewers, the opinion about Kontalis was also widespread: He's not serious about Bill.
It's precisely this portrayal that bothers Kontalis. "Why? I mean, what did I do to you? You don't know me. Why are you saying such things?", he now asks in his Instagram stories, addressing his critics. Then he turns the tables and points to Bill's own stories about his dating life. The singer himself said in the Netflix series that he's texting with 40 men at the same time.
"Every Season Has Its Scapegoat"
"And that's normal", says Kontalis. "So that's normalized and considered acceptable, to tell everyone every day that you're somehow talking to a thousand people at the same time and texting - and then complain when you're still alone. I'm sorry, I can't take it seriously." He himself was "really accommodating, nice" and showed up everywhere, "no matter what was going on". And yet he has to hear in front of millions of viewers: "Yes, but please, dear Bill, don't fall in love with Jannik." His conclusion: "I don't get it." Actually, Kontalis thinks, the criticism should go the other way: "Why doesn't Tom say: 'Bill, you're not serious. What are you doing here?'"
Behind this, he suspects a pattern. "Every season has a scapegoat", he says. Kontalis criticizes that Bill's stories about multiple simultaneous dates are publicly celebrated, while other men are portrayed as the "bad ones". He also defends Marc Eggers: "We don't know Marc's story."
"It Hurts Me Deeply"
He didn't even know that filming was taking place at the pool party or at Oktoberfest, says Kontalis. According to Kontalis, Bill and Tom approve every episode before release and have a say in the final cut. "And that hurts me deeply, because he knows as well as I do that I never did anything wrong. Never. Nothing. And yet he allowed me to be portrayed this way."
In the end, the 29-year-old, who wanted to become mayor of Mönchengladbach last year, becomes combative. "Mark my words. I'm the last one in line. In the next season there won't be a scapegoat anymore when this is all over."
He Was Still Gushing Recently
Before the new season aired, there was no sign of hostility. In early June, Kontalis, who was previously in a relationship with Yeliz Koc (32), had told RTL in an interview: "Bill and I dated for about half a year. We simply love life. When we're together, we have the greatest time!"
Meanwhile, Bill Kaulitz continues to search for his Mr. Right and, by his own assessment, often stands in his own way. He feels drawn to the "forbidden fruits", he analyzes himself in his series.
