Friedman is a German television journalist and talk show host, known for programs including Vorsicht! Friedman and Studio Friedman.

He served as vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and as president of the European Jewish Congress until 2003, when he resigned from all public offices after being fined for cocaine possession.

• Born in Paris, he is the son of Holocaust survivors who were among the Jews saved by Oskar Schindler.

• A longtime member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he left the party in 2025 in protest over its cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on immigration legislation.