Why Jan Hofer is staying in Mallorca — and declining the Jungle Camp

Why Jan Hofer is staying in Mallorca — and declining the Jungle Camp

A way of life between peace, fatherly duties and stage plans

You see him driving around the island with the roof down: a classic VW Beetle, his hair slightly in the wind, the sea not far away. For Jan Hofer, Mallorca is long since more than a short refuge; it is his home and daily life. He retreated there to have fewer spotlights and more family time. At the same time, retirement life is not automatically carefree — his candid talk about the financial framework after decades in the media shows that.

The man many know from the evening news explains that regular retirement income is tightly calculated for daily needs. Since he is no longer permanently employed, his earnings have been project-based. So it is not surprising that he turns down offers like participating in a well-travelled reality show — a path taken by others such as Jörg Dahlmann joining the penance camp — because for him the peace at home matters more than a one-off sum — and apparently also his wife's reaction.

More concretely: instead of making a showy investment on an open stage, Hofer chooses a different signal. He has decided to organise his life on the island: school for his son, shared evenings, walks along Passeig Mallorca or a coffee in the Santa Catalina quarter — small things that together carry life. Even local personalities reappear in TV formats, for example Paul Janke appears as a bartender in a TV dating show. The priority is the child's upbringing and presence, not quick gains through TV stunts.

That does not mean he is withdrawing from public work. From 2027 he plans a series of stage shows that reflect his years in front of the cameras and tell his own story. Not a one-hit gimmick, but a personal programme with anecdotes and short film sequences — something he can control and shape with dignity. That fits the image of a man who wants to determine his media time himself.

On Mallorca such a decision is well received; the island has in recent years attracted many people seeking a quieter but active life, as when a YouTuber made Mallorca his new home: cafés, school runs, neighbourhoods that fill Saturdays with market visits and children's football. That a well-known face prefers this kind of everyday life acts more like confirmation of what many here value: down-to-earthness and time for family.

A small, personal moment characterises the whole: Hofer has in the past deliberately made gestures that revealed his mood more than big words. A symbolic farewell to old roles he long held fits the new phase of life. It is not the end of the stage, but a change of perspective — away from quick tabloid exposure and towards the planned tour and daily life in Palma.

For the island this means an image of retirement that is not only about luxury properties and celebrity appearances. It contrasts with occasions when the island itself becomes a television stage, such as Celebrity Big Brother in Mallorca. It shows how people settle in when the professional stage grows smaller but the demand for quality and family remains. Mallorca's everyday life benefits from that: schools, clubs and neighbourhoods gain people who bring time — and locally that is worth more than any short-term TV prize.

Anyone looking for advice for other celebrities can find it in small, concrete points: set priorities, choose projects that match your own pace, and plan financial decisions better. On Mallorca that can mean choosing the rhythm of the market, school starts and an afternoon kick instead of late-night shows.

In the end remains a slightly ironic but warm conclusion: money can change many things, but not who films for the family or scores a goal on the lawn with his son. For Jan Hofer that is apparently more important than a short-term TV title — and for Palma it is a quiet but pleasant piece of news.

Outlook: Those curious can look forward to the announced stage programme in 2027. Until then Hofer prefers the quiet life on the island — and leaves the big reality stages aside.