Hazel Brugger

Born in San Diego (USA) on December 9, 1993 and raised in Dielsdorf near Zurich, Switzerland, Hazel Brugger is a Swiss humorist, columnist, singer and presenter. The daughter of a father who is a professor of neurology and a mother of German origin, she holds dual Swiss and American citizenship. She began her career as a slam poet in 2009 and quickly made a name for herself with her acerbic, intelligent and absurd tone, blending black humor and social observations. In 2013, she won the Swiss slam poetry championship at the age of 20. From 2016 onwards, she became known to a wider audience as a columnist on the German satirical program Heute-show on ZDF, where her deadpan reporting became a cult hit. At the same time, she performs her own stand-up shows in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, including the well-received Hazel Brugger passiert (2016), Tropical (2020) and Theoretisch kann ich das (2023). In 2020, she and her husband, actor Thomas Spitzer, launched the Deutschland was geht? video channel, in which the couple meet unusual people and places across Germany, mixing documentary, humor and improvisation. Hazel Brugger has also performed music on stage in a comedic and performative register, and has hosted various galas and awards ceremonies. Winner of several awards, including the German Comedy Prize, the Salzburger Stier and the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis, she is today one of the most original satirical voices on the contemporary German-speaking scene. In 2025, she teamed up with Sandra Studer and Petra Mede for the track "Made in Switzerland", which reached number 16 in the Swiss singles chart.