TV moderator Bettina Böttinger turns 70, but celebrates in '27

Bettina Böttinger, a familiar face on German television, is celebrating her 70th birthday on July 4th. However, the veteran moderator has playfully postponed her official celebration until 2027, opting for a more relaxed approach to marking the milestone. Despite stepping down from her long-running show "Kölner Treff" three years ago, Böttinger finds herself unable to fully embrace a quieter life, continuing to accept various moderation requests.

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I just like being on stage and love interacting with the audience.

"I just like being on stage and love interacting with the audience," Böttinger explained, revealing a continued passion for performance. Her 17-year tenure hosting "Kölner Treff" was a significant part of her career, but she also looks back fondly on her earlier program, "B trifft…" ("B meets…"). This show was groundbreaking for its time, inviting guests who often fell outside the mainstream media's radar, including individuals living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ+ community, long before the term "queer" was widely used.

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We were among the first at the time to invite people who otherwise fell through the media grid. People who were HIV-positive. Queer people, although the term didn't even exist yet. I'm still approached about that today, and that's a good feeling.

Böttinger's current focus is her podcast, "Zwischen den Zeilen" ("Between the Lines"), where she engages in lengthy conversations with prominent figures like Hape Kerkeling and Markus Söder. She sees this format as offering "different possibilities" compared to the constraints of a weekly television show. She hopes her work has contributed, even in a small way, to a more open and diverse German society.

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That opens up other possibilities.

Reflecting on societal changes, Böttinger contrasts the present day with the 1970s. While that era was marked by political shifts, she recalls everyday life as much more rigid and repressed, especially as a young lesbian woman. She expresses concern about the current political climate, particularly the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and a perceived increase in violence against LGBTQ+ individuals. "The AfD has brought a view of humanity to the people that I find very dangerous," she stated, emphasizing the need to stand up for one's values.

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The AfD has brought a view of humanity to the people that I find very dangerous.