Günther Johannes Jauch (; born 13 July 1956) is a German television presenter, television producer, and journalist.

Career

Jauch is known for a unique style of informing and entertaining people that is generally considered witty and funny. He won several awards for his appearances in German television. Jauch also owns the production company "''i&u TV''", which stands for ''Information und Unterhaltung'' ("information and entertainment"). He is known to make large donations to charity from money he receives from his appearances in advertisements and other promotional work. Jauch has used his personal wealth to purchase and restore several historic buildings in and around

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of ...

, his current town of residence. In the 1980s, Jauch worked for radio programs of

Bayerischer Rundfunk Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...

. Jauch has produced and hosted the prime time TV programme ', a television news magazine programme, on the private German RTL national TV network since 1990. The programme caused some sensation due to the transmission of falsified articles delivered by the journalist Michael Born who was subsequently convicted to a four-year prison sentence in 1996, a few other prominent German TV networks had also been deceived with such material. In January 2011, after celebrating the end of his 21-year reign hosting ', Jauch will now host a weekly political talkshow on the national German public TV network

Das Erste Das Erste (; "The First") is the flagship national television channel of the ARD association of public broadcasting corporations in Germany. ''Das Erste'' is jointly operated by the nine regional public broadcasting corporations that are member ...

("The First"). In 2005, Jauch was named by ''Stern'' magazine the most famous German in the world. In late 2006, Jauch announced that he would only host the first broadcast of the

Four Hills Tournament The Four Hills Tournament (german: link=no, Vierschanzentournee) or the German-Austrian Ski Jumping Week (german: link=no, Deutsch-Österreichische Skisprung-Woche) is a ski jumping event composed of four World Cup events and has taken place in ...

(from

Oberstdorf Oberstdorf ( Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in Germany and one of its highest towns. At the&nb ...

) and celebrate New Year's Eve with his family. Jauch had hosted all events of the Four Hills Tournament since 2000. The 2007 season tournaments from

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the Ob ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...

and

Bischofshofen Bischofshofen () is a town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. It is an important traffic junction located both on the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line and at the Tauern Autobahn, a major highway route cr ...

were hosted by Marco Schreyl instead. Jauch, together with Thomas Gottschalk, is also part of the German TV show ''Die 2 – Gottschalk und Jauch gegen alle''. In 2015, shortly after

Stefan Raab Stefan Konrad Raab (born 20 October 1966) is a German television producer, businessman, musician, and former entertainer and television host. From 1999 to 2015, he hosted the late-night comedy talk show ''TV total'' and has also created a numbe ...

announced the end of his TV career, Jauch declared publicly that he intended to gradually reduce his TV appearances; stating that he will eventually give up his political talk show ''Günther Jauch'' on ARD and to focus on his other TV shows such as '' Wer wird Millionär?'' on RTL.

Personal life

After 18 years of

common-law marriage Common-law marriage, also known as non-ceremonial marriage, marriage, informal marriage, or marriage by habit and repute, is a legal framework where a couple may be considered married without having formally registered their relation as a civi ...

, Jauch married Thea in the

Orangerie An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very lar ...

at Schloss Sanssouci in

in 2006. He is a member of the

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

Jauch family The Jauch family of Germany is a Hanseatic family which can be traced back till the Late Middle Ages. At the end of the 17th century the family showed up in the Free Imperial and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The members of the family acted as lon ...

. Jauch and Thea have two biological daughters, Svenja (born in 1989) and Kristin (born in 1993). The couple adopted two orphaned daughters in 1997 and 2000, named Katja and Masha.

Philanthropy

Jauch is characterised by his secluded lifestyle. He stated in interviews that he takes the liberty of leading a life that does not correspond to his supposed economic possibilities. According to his own statement, he has spent considerable amounts of his income, including all the profit from advertising jobs, on charitable causes since the early years of his career. In 2002, he made significant financial contributions to the reconstruction of the Fortunaportal (Gate of the Fortuna) at the Potsdam Stadtschloss city palace. Jauch has also given financial support to other projects in Potsdam, e.g. the Belvedere on the Pfingstberg, (where he got married in 2006), the Potsdam city canal, the Kloebersaal, a hall in the north wing of the

Marmorpalais The Marmorpalais (or Marble Palace) is a former royal residence in Potsdam, near Berlin in Germany, built on the grounds of the extensive '' Neuer Garten'' on the shores of the '' Heiliger See'' (lake). The palace was commissioned by King ''Frie ...

(Marble Palace), which is opposite his villa at Heiligen See lake, as well as the restoration of the Neptungrotte (Neptune Grotto) in the palace gardens of Schloss Sanssouci. Furthermore, he supported the construction of the Marienschule Potsdam, a co-educational Roman-Catholic school for primary and secondary education, which belongs to the archdiocese of Berlin. The prime minister of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

Matthias Platzeck Matthias Platzeck (born 29 December 1953) is a German politician. He was Minister President of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013 and party chairman of the SPD from November 2005 to April 2006. On 29 July 2013 Platzeck announced his resignation fro ...

, called him a citizen every mayor could ever wish for. Jauch was an ambassador for the Berlin Pro-Reli-Kampagne, a petition which aimed to change the Education Act of the state of Berlin in order to introduce religious studies as an elective subject instead of ethics as a sole compulsory subject. The campaign eventually failed in April 2009. Jauch's ancestress on his grandmother's side, Anna Weißebach, founded the Caritas Konferenzen, the German branch of the International Association of Charities. Jauch's own family set up soup kitchens in Hamburg as early as the 19th and 20th century and founded and maintained poorhouses in

and other places. In line with his family's tradition of charitable foundations, Jauch endowed the founding of a branch of Die Arche in Drewitz (Potsdam) in 2009, which provides free meals for children in need. He also covers ongoing property and personnel expenses. Die Arche – Christliches Kinder- und Jugendwerk e.V. is a Christian organisation for children and adolescents.

Vineyard owner

Jauch also continues a 200 year-old family tradition of wine-growing. In 2010, he successfully applied for membership in the German Prädikat Wine Estates VDP (German: " Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter"), in order to acquire a relative's vineyard (Othegraven in Kanzem) which was approved by VDP that certifies Germany's wines that meet the organizations requirements. The entire property, including a mansion and an English Garden, has been subject to preservation orders since 2003. Jauch's family has been running the winery since 1805, when his ancestor and merchant Emmerich Grach bought the property. Jauch's grandmother Elsa von Othegraven, his grandfather Hans Jauch and his father Ernst-Alfred Jauch were part of the community of heirs. However, in 1996 the winery was inherited by a distant relative. In order to ensure that the winery was not going to be sold to a party outside the family, Jauch decided to buy it. One of the previous owners had been Jauch's famous great-great-uncle, Franz Weißebach. According to the VDP, the vineyard is a gem of a vineyard, rare in its quality and attractive location. In 2011, Jauch acquired a further vineyard (Wawerner Herrenberg) in Wawern that is 3.5 acres. It had also belonged to his ancestor Emmerich Grach. Jauch also co-produced wines that supermarket chain Aldi has been selling under his name since 2018.

Dispute about privacy

Jauch wanted to legally prohibit any type of media coverage in the preparation of his wedding in July 2006. The

Landgericht Berlin The Landgericht Berlin is a regional court in Berlin, divided into two divisions for civil and criminal cases. In the German court hierarchy, it is above the eleven local courts (Amtsgerichte) of the city and below the Kammergericht, which is th ...

granted him an interim injunction against the newspaper

Bild ''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper '' Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...

and other publications of the Springer publishing house. The Kammergericht Berlin, however, decided against a prohibition of general media coverage in June 2006 due to his celebrity status. According to the judges, they were allowed to report about the date and place of the wedding. After the magazine

Bunte ''Bunte'' (company's preferred spelling in capital letters) is a German-language weekly celebrity gossip magazine published by Hubert Burda Media. The first edition was published in 1948 under the name ''Das Ufer''. Under the leadership of Hube ...

published photos of the wedding and details about the ceremony, Thea Jauch went to court against the publishing house to demand damages and compensation for pain and suffering totalling 325,000 Euros. The

Landgericht ''Landgericht'' may refer to: * Landgericht (Germany), a mid-level court in the present-day judicial system of Germany *: For example, ** Landgericht Berlin ** Landgericht Bremen * Landgericht (medieval) The ''Landgericht'' (plural: ''Landgerichte ...

Hamburg awarded her only 25,000 Euros compensation in January 2008. The judgment was set aside by the

Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht The (Hanseatic Higher Regional Court, abbreviated HansOLG, officially without a suffix "Hamburg") is the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany, and thus part of the Hamburg ordinary jurisdiction. I ...

in October 2008. As a public figure, interest in Jauch's wedding was legitimate, it said. An anew appeal was refused by the

Federal Constitutional Court The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its in ...

. The demand for damages by Jauch in a separate lawsuit was in vain as well. The couple then went before the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...

to claim that the German justice system did not protect Jauch's right to privacy sufficiently and breached his right to protection of property, because they did not award him damages for the published photos. The court in Strasbourg affirmed the public's interest in his wedding and therefore, their claims were without cause. German justice had carefully weighed between the

right to privacy The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 150 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. On 10 December 194 ...

and the

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...

, it said. The complaint was declared inadmissible.

Shows hosted

* 1985–1987: ''Live aus dem Alabama'' * 1988–1997: '' Das aktuelle sportstudio'' (Up-to-date Sport news) * since 1989: ''Menschen, Bilder, Emotionen'' (''People, Pictures, Emotions'') * 1990–2010: ''

Stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Or ...

TV'' * since 1999: '' Wer wird Millionär?'' (German version of ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...

'') * 2000–2006: ''RTL-Skispringen'' (ski jumping) * 2001–2004: ''Der Große IQ-Test'' (''The Big IQ Test'') * 2001–2009: ''5-Millionen SKL Show'' * 2002–2004: ''Grips-Show'' (''Brain Show'') * since 2009: ''5 gegen Jauch'' (5 against Jauch) * 2011–2015: ''Günther Jauch'' (Sunday evening political talkshow on

) * 2013–2017: ''Die 2 – Gottschalk & Jauch gegen alle'' (with Thomas Gottschalk and

Barbara Schöneberger Barbara von Schierstädt (; born 5 March 1974) is a German television presenter, actress and singer. Early life Schöneberger is the only child of clarinet player Hans Schöneberger and his wife Annemarie. She studied sociology, art history and ...

) * 2016–2017: ''500 – Die Quiz-Arena'' * since 2018: ''Denn sie wissen nicht, was passiert – Die Jauch-Gottschalk-Schöneberger-Show'' (with Thomas Gottschalk and Barbara Schöneberger) * since 2019: ''Bin ich schlauer als Günther Jauch?'' (''Am I smarter than Günther Jauch?'')

Awards

* 1988 **

Goldene Kamera The Goldene Kamera ("Golden Camera") is an annual German film and television award, awarded by the Funke Mediengruppe. The award show is usually held in early February in Hamburg, but has also taken place in Berlin in the past. The gold-plat ...

* 1989 **

Bayerischer Fernsehpreis Bayerischer Fernsehpreis (the Bavarian TV award) is an award presented by the government of Bavaria, Germany since 1989. The prize symbol is the "Blue Panther", a figure from the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. The prize money is €10,000 (Spe ...

* 1990 **

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten ...

* 1998 **

together with

Marcel Reif Marcel Reif (born 27 November 1949) is a Swiss television sport journalist and commentator Biography Reif was born in Wałbrzych, Silesia (formerly Waldenburg), four years after the area was transferred to Poland from Germany following Wor ...

* 2001 **

: **

for Wer wird Millionär? * 2002 ** Adolf-Grimme-Preis * 2003 ** Unsere Besten, Rank 29 **

Osgar Osgar was a 10th-century Abbot of Abingdon in the English county of Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). Osgar was a cleric in minor orders who went with Saint Aethelwold from Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, Engl ...

: * 2006 **

Deutscher Fernsehpreis The Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''German Television Award'') is an annual German award for television programming, created in 1999 by German television channels Das Erste, ZDF, RTL and Sat.1. It was created to be an equivalent to the Emmy Awards, t ...

* 2010 **

* 2011 **

red dot design award The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can appl ...

* 2012 **

Products advertised

* Krombacher (beer) *

KarstadtQuelle Arcandor AG was a holding company located in Essen, Germany, that oversaw a number of companies operating in the businesses of mail order and internet shopping, department stores and tourism services. It was formed in 1999 by the merger of Kars ...

(a department store / mail-order company) * (a

lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

) *

DHL DHL is an American founded, German logistics company providing courier, package delivery and express mail service, which is a division of the German logistics firm Deutsche Post. The company group delivers over 1.8 billion parcels per year. ...

(a postal service owned by Germany's

Deutsche Post The Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL Group, is a German multinational package delivery and supply chain management company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is one of the world's largest courier companies ...

alongside Thomas Gottschalk) *

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the W ...

(a nature preserve organization)

References in popular culture

* Jauch is mentioned in the song ''Rot'' by Markus Henrik, in his role as the host of the show ''Wer wird Millionär?'' (''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''). * Jauch is also mentioned in the

Blumentopf Blumentopf ("Flower pot") were a German hip hop band from Freising, near Munich. In the early days of the band, the members met irregularly and did not have ambitions to become professional musicians. Each week a new name was chosen. The band wa ...

song "Warum eigentlich nicht?"

References

External links

Günther Jauch
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Literature from and about Günther Jauch
in the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jauch, Gunther 1956 births Living people German television personalities German game show hosts German television talk show hosts German sports journalists German sports broadcasters Male journalists 20th-century German journalists 21st-century German journalists German journalists German male journalists People from Münster People from Potsdam German Roman Catholics

Gunther Gundaharius or Gundahar (died 437), better known by his legendary names Gunther ( gmh, Gunther) or Gunnar ( non, Gunnarr), was a historical king of Burgundy in the early 5th century. Gundahar is attested as ruling his people shortly after they ...

RTL Group people ARD (broadcaster) people ZDF people Bayerischer Rundfunk people Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?