The satirist Sebastian “El Hotzo” Hotz has a significant presence on X, formerly Twitter. He is currently under criticism for his comments regarding the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Who is it about? Sebastian Hotz is a German satirist who has worked as a joke writer for Jan Böhmermann and his ZDF Magazin Royale, among others. However, many probably know him primarily from his presence on X, formerly Twitter, where he spreads humorous short messages for his nearly 700,000 followers under the name “El Hotzo.”
Currently, El Hotzo is trending not because of his pointed observations of everyday life, but due to a post about the shots fired at Donald Trump, which many found in poor taste.
Online, many have destroyed their reputations in seconds:
Critics demand dismissal and legal consequences
What did El Hotzo post? The satirist posted a meme on July 14, 2024, in response to the assassination attempt on American presidential candidate Trump. In it, he links the terms “the last bus” and “Donald Trump” with “unfortunately missed it by a narrow margin.”
For those who did not find the message of the post clear enough, El Hotzo wrote underneath unambiguously: “I find it absolutely fantastic when fascists die.” The statements have since been removed from the satirist’s X account.
How were the reactions? Quite critical. “El Hotzo” is currently trending with over 27,000 posts on X, including a lot of outrage. Bundestag Vice President and lawyer Wolfgang Kubicki saw the posts as the “public endorsement of serious crimes.”
Some users are also demanding that Hotz should no longer be allowed to work for public broadcasting after his comments. However, there seems to be some confusion about what kind of employment relationship the satirist has.
For example, some expect that the ZDF would throw Hotz out (via X). In fact, the satirist does not work for the broadcaster and has likely only written freelance for ZDF Magazin Royale. Additionally, El Hotzo also had a brief appearance on the show, ironically on the topic of cancel culture. The images we used for the title picture come from this video (via YouTube)
However, it is correct that Hotz presents the show “Theoretisch cool” on the RBB radio station Fritz every third Sunday of the month. Critics are therefore demanding that all public broadcasters stop working with Hotz. There is even a petition that has currently been signed by about 11,000 people.
Both ZDF and RBB distanced themselves from the statements. ZDF emphasized to the Frankfurter Allgemeine that there is currently “no collaboration” with Hotz.
A spokesperson for RBB referred to the statements as “dehumanizing.” They have “no place in our shows…” They now want to “contact the author.” Subsequently, a decision will be made on the next steps.
El Hotzo has so far taken the criticism very calmly. Thus, on July 14, he poked fun with further posts:
The attack on Donald Trump has further unexpected consequences. For instance, it leads to a previously forgotten game on Steam experiencing a sudden surge in players. In a forgotten game on Steam, you rescue Donald Trump from an assassination: Suddenly it is alarmingly relevant
RBB terminates collaboration with Sebastian Hotz
Update 16.7, 18:49: As reported by the Zeit, the RBB broadcaster has terminated its collaboration with Sebastian Hotz until further notice.
His statements are not consistent with the values that RBB stands for, said the program director.
Hotz had moderated the show “Theoretisch cool” at Radio Fritz since summer 2022.
