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Hape Kerkeling Says Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination Drove Him From Italy, Rebukes Meloni

He shares the claims during media interviews linked to a late‑March cinema return for his Horst Schlämmer character.

Overview

  • In a Stern interview, Kerkeling says persistent, everyday exclusion as a gay man made him decide to leave Italy.
  • He argues that working with Giorgia Meloni’s government is “a step in the wrong direction.”
  • He contrasts countries’ attitudes toward queer people, calling Scandinavia more relaxed and placing Germany “somewhere in between.”
  • He is promoting his film comeback as Horst Schlämmer in “Horst Schlämmer sucht das Glück,” slated to open on March 26.
  • On the NDR Talk Show, he said he declined a multi‑year ABC role after a fortune‑teller’s advice and recalled earlier threats that triggered state protection.