Overview
- Organizer Andreas Ellermann removed Yvonne Woelke from the program for the gala held Friday and invited Peter Klein in her place, saying the show required all guests to remain in the hall and be repeatedly on camera.
- Woelke says she was notified by WhatsApp and disputes the organiser's version, adding she had asked to move her slot earlier because she had a second engagement in Vienna.
- People from the TV production told reporters that Woelke initially declined to spend the entire evening in the hall and to sit at the same table as Klein, a point organisers cite in explaining the late change.
- Klein performed at the Waldhaus Reinbek event and said he did not know why Woelke was absent, while organisers report the gala raised more than €80,000 for its campaign against old‑age poverty.
- The incident highlights immediate career fallout for Woelke, who says the couple's recent split has already cost her bookings and who is now reassessing future appearances.