Stefan Raab

Stefan Konrad Raab, born on 20 October 1966, is a German entertainer, television host, producer, musician, and businessman. He gained widespread recognition as the host of the late-night comedy talk show TV total from 1999 to 2015, and as the creator of popular television programs such as Schlag den Raab and the Bundesvision Song Contest. In the early 2010s, German media referred to him as the most powerful man in German entertainment television.

Raab grew up in Cologne with his sister and parents, who owned a butcher's shop. He attended the Jesuit boarding school Aloisiuskolleg in Bonn. Prior to entering the entertainment industry, Raab completed an apprenticeship as a butcher in his parents' shop and studied law for five semesters before dropping out of university.

As an autodidactic musician, Raab plays instruments including the piano, drums, guitar, and ukulele. In 1990, he began working as a freelance producer and composer of radio commercials and jingles at his studio in Cologne. He launched his television hosting career in 1993 with the comedy show Vivasion on VIVA. In 1994, he achieved widespread national fame by composing a hit spoof single about national football coach Berti Vogts, followed by other popular songs such as Hier kommt die Maus, Maschen-Draht-Zaun, and Space Taxi.

In 1999, Raab created TV total, which began airing four times a week on ProSieben in April 2001, evolving from clip satire into a late-night show format. Over the years, Raab introduced several televised celebrity sports events, such as high diving, stock car racing, autoball, and wok racing, which he invented in November 2003 using modified Chinese woks on an Olympic bobsled track. In 2006, he created the competitive game show Schlag den Raab, competing directly against contestants across multiple disciplines.

Raab has played a prominent role in the Eurovision Song Contest as a composer, producer, and performer. He wrote the 1998 German entry Guildo hat euch lieb! and performed his own song Wadde hadde dudde da? in 2000, finishing in fifth place. Through his 2010 pre-selection show Unser Star für Oslo, Lena Meyer-Landrut was chosen and won the Eurovision Song Contest for Germany. Raab also co-hosted the 2011 contest and created the Bundesvision Song Contest, a national music competition running from 2005 to 2015 featuring representatives from Germany's 16 states.

Raab retired from his on-screen hosting career in late 2015, concluding TV total and Schlag den Raab, while remaining active as a television producer. He returned to television in 2024 with programs including Du gewinnst hier nicht die Million and Stefan & Bully gegen irgendson Schnulli, and began hosting Die Stefan Raab Show. Throughout his career, Raab has received numerous awards, including the Goldener Löwe, Deutscher Fernsehpreis, Rose d'Or, Adolf-Grimme-Preis, and ECHO awards.