In the latest episode of an American late-night show, the host showed his audience that he has stumbled upon German cultural heritage that absolutely thrilled him. And it is none other than our grumpy loaf of bread Bernd.
Where did Bernd make his appearance? In the American show “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver, the audience was witness to one of the most famous German television stars.
Just before the episode was supposed to end for the night, John Oliver spoke about iconic characters for children that should already be familiar to the American audience. He then wants to introduce the audience to another character that is known to all German children: Bernd the Bread.
“He is incredible,” says Oliver after a clip (via X), showing a depressing New Year’s speech from Bernd, in which he says that one should give up all hope and rather dig a hole to sit in, “That is a loaf of bread that is missing two things: arms and any nonsense that would still matter to him.”
He adds that he would love to see Bernd in more American formats, such as 60 Minutes or Hot Ones, but to create a neutral ground, he wants to meet Bernd in a place where he is most commonly seen.
“That is the most German thing I have ever seen”
How does the meeting between the host and the bread go? At the end of the episode, John Oliver enters the well-known white void where Bernd always resides during the night loop. While Oliver reveals himself to be a big fan and tries to initiate a conversation with Bernd, Bernd remains authentically uninterested, motionless, and annoyed. The host couldn’t particularly convince Bernd to join his late-night show, but then again, he doesn’t like comedy anyway.
However, he actually speaks, even if he doesn’t say much, very good English. It is not accent-free, but the original voice actor, that is the real Bernd, whom you also know from KiKA.
How do the Germans react to the broadcast? On social media, the clip with Bernd on American television quickly goes viral and subsequently reaches Germany, where the bread eventually comes from. The Germans celebrate the appearance just as much as Oliver’s audience did, even though they absolutely did not expect it.
“This wasn’t on my bingo card. This is fantastic,” writes dominikert on Instagram, and other German users also express their joy over this guest appearance:
Comments like “In a world full of bad news, we get John Oliver, with the unique Bernd the Bread at Last Week Tonight,” (keyjahn via Instagram) or “I have never been prouder of something from my country than today” (bellerophon2 via Instagram) reflect the reaction of the German community.
If you want to see the clip with Bernd and John Oliver, you can find the post from @NilsAhrDE here:
Bernd the Bread is already a few years old and has been able to entertain and disturb several generations of children and adults. By now, he has gone from the night loop of a children’s channel to a celebrated meme, quite different from another meme that you might have already forgotten, but we would be happy to remind you of: Ralf Schumacher becomes a meme and is already planning the next steps
