ZDF Host Kiewel Apologizes After Racism Accusations Over Pokémon Card Remark

Andrea Kiewel, the long-serving host of ZDF's popular show "Fernsehgarten," has issued an apology following accusations of racism. The incident occurred during a live broadcast last Sunday, which was themed "90s Dance Party."

While discussing the Pokémon phenomenon, Kiewel was shown a Pokémon card featuring Asian characters by two collectors. In response, she remarked, "Chinese!" and then uttered the phrase "Ching Chong Chaang."

The ZDF broadcaster stated that Kiewel's "spontaneous remark was due to the live situation and was in no way meant to be racist." The network added, "Andrea Kiewel regrets her words and apologizes for them."

However, the comments quickly drew criticism on social media platforms like Instagram, with many users accusing Kiewel of everyday racism. One user wrote, "Good mood, fine, but why this saying about the Pokémon segment? Everyday racism is really not necessary. A show like this should be aware of its responsibility. And it's not just 'humor'; I have family who have to endure such 'sayings' for years and don't find it 'funny' at all."

Another commenter shared a similar sentiment, stating, "I had to endure such sayings as a child and because of exactly this reproduction of everyday racism, my little cousins suffer the same nonsense..." In response to the backlash, ZDF reiterated its stance: "ZDF explicitly stands against all forms of racism."

Notably, the card Kiewel commented on featured Japanese characters, not Chinese.