“Let me be clear: I am not giving up this wonderful show voluntarily. I just found out today,” Elton (53) begins his statement on social media. Because on Wednesday it was announced in a press release from the German TV station ProSieben that Elton would no longer moderate the show “Schlag den Star”.
The message from Wednesday afternoon states that with Elton a “veteran” is leaving the “Schschlag den…” cosmos. “Dear Elton, I would like to thank you very much for the great entertainment that you have given ProSieben viewers over the past decades. It was a celebration with you,” said station boss Hannes Hiller.
Elton: “Without words!!!”
However, Elton only found out on the day it was broadcast that he would no longer be hosting the show. When his management asked what the rumors were, as he wrote in a post on Instagram: “The station manager at Pro7 didn’t think it was necessary to call me and ask what was going on or to find a solution find.”
The presenter worked for the German TV station for 23 years and has hosted “Schlag den Star” for eight years. He is disappointed about the decision: “I am really speechless, angry, but above all extremely sad. I’m not even granted a farewell show after 23 years with Pro 7.”
Elton is also in front of the camera for other projects, for example he was part of the 4th season of the Amazon Prime show “LOL: Last One Laughing”. For some time now he has been moderating the quiz show “Disgrace or cash in?” as well as the “Schlag den Raab” spin-off “Schlag den Besten” for RTL. It is unclear whether this is a reason for the decision, but Elton says: “It seems to be too much for Pro7 that I work at RTL. At once!!!!”
Matthias Opdenhövel takes over “Schlag den Star”
Instead of Elton, Matthias Opdenhövel (53) will be on stage in the future. He is returning to the “Schlag den…” universe on ProSieben after 13 years. He’s looking forward to being back in his old living room: “It’s an honor and a homecoming at the same time.” Hiller is also looking forward to the new moderation; according to him, you couldn’t ask for a “better handover of the baton.”
No statement from ProSieben yet
There is still no statement from the TV station or its program director about Elton’s Instagram post. A reason for the change is not yet known. Elton explains this in more detail. “23 years of cleaning, cooking, taking out the trash and asking about or clarifying all the affairs. For what?” he writes in his Instagram story. He ends his contribution with: “Again: pure disappointment. There will be no further statements from me.”