The ex-wife of German actor and comedian Christian Ulmen has filed a criminal complaint accusing the Berlin Blues star of creating and decimating fake sex videos and nude photos of her online while they were still married.
Collien Fernandes, a well-known German actress and TV presenter, made her allegations public in an Instagram post on Friday, following a detailed report published Thursday in German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, in what she alleges was a decade of systematic “humiliation” by Ulmen. The criminal complaint, filed in Spain, also alleges domestic abuse at the hands of Ulmen.
Fernandes accuses Ulmen of creating AI-generated photos and videos of her that he spread online and sent to other men in the German film and TV industry as well as those in their circle of acquaintances. One fake video, which she claims was sent to 21 men, depicted her being gang-raped. Ulmen, Fernandes alleges, also used AI to clone her voice for the purpose of fake telephone sex chats with other men.
Ulmen, through his lawyer, had denied all charges.
In Spiegel investigation, Fernandes alleges that her ex-husband created fake social media profiles in her name and used them to contact men to send them pornographic photos and videos.
A media law firm, commissioned by Ulmen, has called the Spiegel report “unlawful for several reasons” and that it disseminated “untrue facts” based on a “one-sided account.”
Fernandes had been aware of the spread of the digital fakes for years. In 2024 she hosted a TV program, “The Hunt for the Perpetrator” which tried to find the people behind her fake social media profiles. She claims that after the program aired in late 2024, she discovered her husband was behind it all.
Fernandes and Ulmen married in 2011. They separated last year and announced their divorce earlier this month. They have a daughter.
The criminal complaint, filed in Spain, where the couple have a second residence, accuses Ulmen of, among other things, alleged identity theft, violation of business or private secrets, and public insult. The Department for Violence Against Women at the Palma District Court has confirmed Fernandes’ complaint also alleges repeated threats and abuse. The Spanish investigation is still in its early stages and Ulmen has not yet been charged with any crime.
Fernandes and Ulmen were one of Germany‘s best-known celebrity couples. Ulmen has been a household name in Germany for decades, first as a MTV VJ, then as a comedian and actor on hit series including Jerks and crime procedural Tatort, and in films, including Berlin Blues (2003), and Maria, ihm schmeckt’s nicht! (2009). Fernandes is a prominent TV presenter and actress who has appeared in such German comedies as Night of the Living Dorks (2004) and Ossi’s Eleven (2007).
In response to the allegations, German commercial network Pro7 pulled all episodes of Ulmen’s Jerks from its online platform Joyn. Public broadcaster has ARD not yet removed Ulmen’s Tatort episodes from its on-demand service.
Original Article on Hollywood Reporter