“RONZHEIMER.” has just been awarded the BAMBI 2025 in the “Culture” category. Paul Ronzheimer impressively demonstrates how podcasts as a cultural medium can inspire, inform and unite people.
Cher is a true "Goddess of Pop" and remains one of the most influentialfigures in modern culture. With a career spanning six decades, she has not only revolutionised the entertainment industry but also set standards worldwide with her tireless commitment to social justice and the protection of people and animals. Cher is a beacon of compassion, courage and transformation, which Hubert Burda Media honours with the BAMBI 2025 Award in the Legend category.
"Cher is a legend because she has never stopped being herself – loud, proud and fearless. She inspires generations of female artists and is passionately committed to the LGBTQ+ community, AIDS awareness, social justice, and animal welfare. To this day, she stands for self-determination, strength and the power to constantly reinvent herself."
Alexandra Link, editor-in-chief of Digital Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire and member of the BAMBI jury
Cher shot to fame in the summer of 1965 at the age of nineteen with the single "I Got You Babe." It was the beginning of an extraordinary career in which she continually set new musical standards. With her 1998 hit "Believe", she revolutionised pop music once again, becoming the only artist to achieve a number-one hit in every decade since the 1960s – selling more than 140 million records worldwide.
Beyond music, Cher made her name as an acclaimed actress. In the 1970s, she made television history with "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour"; in the 1980s, she conquered Hollywood with "Silkwood", "The Witches of Eastwick" and “Moonstruck”, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also holds Cannes, Grammy, Emmy and three Golden Globe Awards. Her ability to reinvent herself, while remaining unmistakably Cher, has inspired generations of artists worldwide.
But beyond the spotlight, Cher has used her profile to champion humanitarian causes tirelessly. Cher’s advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, her support of AIDS charities, her creation of the Cher Charitable Foundation and her lifelong dedication to equality and inclusion, she has long stood for social justice, equality and inclusion.
Her commitment to animal welfare is particularly striking: In 2016, deeply moved by the suffering of captive wild animals, Cher founded Free The Wild, a charity she continues to lead passionately today. Together with her co-founders, she has spearheaded international missions to rescue and relocate hundreds of animals trapped in appalling conditions — from lions, bears and elephants to primates and big cats — transferring them to sanctuaries where they can live freely, safely and with dignity.
Free The Wild’s most famous rescue came in 2020, when Cher personally led the campaign to save Kaavan, “the world’s loneliest elephant,” from a tiny concrete enclosure in Islamabad Zoo, Pakistan. After years of neglect, Kaavan was flown — with Cher’s help — to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, where he now lives peacefully among other elephants. The mission became a global symbol of compassion, determination and the power of one voice to change the world. Since then, Free The Wild has continued its vital work, rescuing animals from collapsing zoos and war-torn regions and restoring to them the lives they were denied.
Through this work, Cher has shown that fame can be used not only to entertain but to heal, to protect, and to inspire lasting global change – for both people and animals alike.
The BAMBI Awards ceremony will be streamed live from Bavaria Studios on November 13, 2025, at 8:15 p.m. The live broadcast is available free of charge on Prime Video for the first time. All Amazon customers can stream BAMBI without a Prime membership.
Since 1948, BAMBI has honoured personalities who touch Germany, achieve something special, and serve as role models. As a journalistic platform, BAMBI takes responsibility for society and makes the messages of the award winners visible – emotionally, profoundly, and digitally. This year, the award will be presented in more than 12 categories.
For the third time in a row, the BAMBI awards ceremony will take place in Munich, sponsored by the Bavarian State Chancellery. Streaming service Prime Video will once again broadcast the ceremony live as a media partner. As the official entertainment partner, the entertainment platform TikTok will stream the live broadcast from the red carpet. This year's official BAMBI partners are AIGNER, Chopard, Dr. Barbara Sturm, ELASTEN Trink-Kollagen, ELOTRANS reload, IhreApotheken.de, LLOYD, Schwarzkopf, and Yacht-Magazin. The ceremony is also supported by partners ANDECHSER NATUR, Augustiner-Bräu, Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Degussa, EDEKA, ipuro, JUVIA, L'Osteria, Nespresso, Staatl. Fachingen, and Südliche Weinstraße (Pfalz).
