Overview
- Lanz, in a new Stern interview reported by German outlets, says long-running self-doubt stems from tough jobs he did as a child.
- He recalls work on potato fields and in hotel kitchens as a dishwasher and calls it “üble Kinderarbeit,” his term for harsh child labor that he says shaped him.
- He describes a lasting sense of being pushed around as a “Minderwertigkeitskomplex” and says poor children often carry the same wound.
- The 57-year-old says those doubts still trail him — “not good enough, not fast enough, not smart enough” — yet he credits them with pushing him to improve.
- He grew up in South Tyrol in Italy and now hosts ZDF’s Markus Lanz, which he says reflects his move into a self-determined life.