- Writer Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre has ended his friendship with Christian Ulmen.
- The reason is serious allegations from Ulmen’s ex-partner Collien Fernandes, who speaks of digitally-mediated sexual violence.
- Stuckrad-Barre expresses solidarity with Fernandes.
A long-standing friendship has come to an end. Writer Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre, 51, made the news public following the emergence of allegations against Christian Ulmen, 50. He addressed the matter on Instagram.
Stuckrad-Barre said he read the cover story in “Spiegel” on Thursday afternoon, in which presenter Collien Fernandes, 44, makes serious accusations against her ex-partner. He detailed his reaction in a lengthy post on March 22 on the social media platform, stating that, like many others, the article hit him “completely unexpectedly,” leaving him “in a kind of shock and still far from understanding everything.”
The Allegations Are “Simply Horrific”
“The accusations that Collien Fernandes makes against her former husband Christian Ulmen are simply horrific,” Stuckrad-Barre wrote. He and Ulmen have known each other for nearly 30 years, a connection he previously considered “a close friendship, even if we haven’t spoken or seen each other for years at a time.” He thought he “knew the actor quite well.”
“I must clearly distance myself from my friend Christian here.”
Fernandes’ account caused him “immense shock on several levels.” “Digital sexualized violence is violence. And with violence, everything ends, really everything,” the writer emphasized. His sole solidarity lies with the presenter. “It is very challenging for me, nothing is easy about it, but it is simple: I must clearly distance myself from my friend Christian here, I must state that clearly, as silence could rightly be interpreted as approval,” Stuckrad-Barre wrote.
Fernandes recently addressed a dark-field study by the German Federal Criminal Police Office in an Instagram post and in an interview with “Tagesthemen.” “Roughly five percent of domestic violence cases are reported to the police. In the case of digital violence, it’s 2.4 percent. And all the lawyers I’ve spoken to share me that complaints are dropped, that victims are not helped,” she told “Tagesthemen.” She feels “that we have something in the system that doesn’t work” and that “Germany is an absolute paradise for perpetrators.”
“Not Just Some Dark Figures”
In his Instagram post, Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre calls on men to “recognize, acknowledge, and condemn the fact that most acts of violence against women capture place within relationships. And that the perpetrators are not just some dark figures from statistics, but also people we admire or love.” Men must be “much more aware of violence and violent behavior,” prevent it, and not protect perpetrators. This public reckoning comes as discussions around accountability and safety within the entertainment industry continue to gain momentum.
How do you react when someone you admire is publicly confronted with serious allegations?
The depth of the issue and the break with Ulmen are evident in the post. Stuckrad-Barre asked for forgiveness if his words sounded unsorted, but concluded with the unambiguous statement: “At least I wanted to start with that now, publicly, precisely because Christian was my friend until last Thursday.”
According to a report in “Spiegel,” Fernandes filed a complaint against Ulmen in Spain at the end of 2025. The court allegedly initiated “preliminary investigations.” Whether charges will be filed or the proceedings dropped remains open. Ulmen’s lawyer stated that “untrue facts are being disseminated based on a one-sided account” and that legal action will be taken. The presumption of innocence applies.
Are you or someone you grasp affected by sexualized, domestic, psychological, or other forms of violence?
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