Jerry Springer first became known as a Cincinnati City Council member before serving as the city’s mayor. He then made the unexpected move of starting a career as a news anchor. This led him to getting his very own daytime talk show.
The Jerry Springer Show was one of the most shocking and provocative daytime shows in history. It ran for 27 seasons, from 1991 to 2018. From its controversial subject matter to the guests’ outrageous behavior, Jerry was one of the kings of daytime. In the 90s, nobody commanded the attention of talk show viewers quite like Jerry.
He sadly passed away at the age of 79 of pancreatic cancer. During his final years, Jerry kept his health struggles private. However, he always made time to reflect on his remarkable career. In one memorable interview, Jerry looked back on some infamous moments from his show.
Jerry Reflected On The ‘Worst’ Moments From His Talk Show Over The Years
In 1990, a news anchor named Jerry Springer was recruited by his TV station’s owner to host a new daytime talk show. The owner also produced Donahue and Sally Jessy Raphael, two very popular daytime talk shows at the time. “There was no expectation that it would last at all,” Jerry told TV Insider. “My first contract was six weeks.”
Jerry admitted that he emulated Phil Donahue in the beginning by dealing with serious subjects. In one particularly difficult episode, Jerry confronts white supremacists.
“That was a serious show,” Jerry remembered. “We don’t deal with any serious issues now; we just deal with dating. We don’t even do ‘Who’s the daddy?’ I don’t mind having a circus and being silly, and I’m not saying people don’t get angry on our show, but I don’t want to deal with any life-changing topics. I don’t know these people and it’s not fair for me to get involved with their life and 15 minutes later they’re gone.”
The serious topics were officially out when Ricki Lake’s show became successful in 1993. By then, both Jerry and the producers decided to target a younger audience. This meant throwing away the more serious tone of the earlier episodes. “Young people are much more open in their lifestyles, so every once in a while the show would go crazy,” Jerry said. Universal purchased the show by the end of the decade and wanted the outrageous behavior dialed up.
As his show’s 25th anniversary approached, Jerry told the outlet that he was no longer surprised by what took place on his stage. “I can’t say ‘Please watch the show, it will make the world a better place,’” he said. “It’s a one-hour escape from whatever ails you. It’s chewing gum: it doesn’t do much good but it won’t hurt you.”
However, due to the show’s overall tone and subject matter, the outlet decided to ask him about the show’s “worst” moments through the years. The Jerry Springer Show was named the Worst TV Show in History by TV Guide Magazine in 2002. “It’s hard for anyone to get upset at our show today when you see the same stuff on social media,” Jerry said.
In 1998, there was a particularly shocking episode which focused on a man who married a horse. “We tried to run that show around the Kentucky Derby,” Jerry said. “We wanted horse lovers to watch. But I tell people who don’t follow our show that the horse left him. And you’ll be happy to know I came out against it in my ‘Final Thought’ segment.”
And it wasn’t just shocking stories, Jerry even popularized catchphrases. The phrase “talk to the hand” is said to have become widespread thanks to the show. “For a lot of people, it was the first time they’d heard that phrase,” he recalled. “A lot of the new phrases from the younger generation, you get to hear first on our show. Now they all say, ‘I’m not hearing that!’”
One of the things Jerry made sure to steer clear of were the food fights. “I have learned that whenever food is brought out, no one is going to get to eat it,” Jerry said. “As soon as I see food being brought out, you will see me step off the stage and go into the crowd. I can’t have the food on my suits!”
Other memorable moments included a canned-food fetishist who is said to have been the gateway for future guests, such as Burrito-Girl, Meat Lady, and the Sushi Stripper. There was also a week of episodes dubbed “Springer Break” which were filmed at Jamaica’s Hedonism Club. “After a week with us, even the hedonistic swingers were put off,” Jerry remembered.
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In a disturbing episode, Earl Zea recounted maiming himself with garden shears. When asked why he did it, Earl said it was because he was being stalked. Jerry wondered, “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just change his phone number?” There was also an episode where three shirtless, obese men gorged themselves on junk food. “If The Biggest Loser had a prequel, this is it,” Jerry joked.
Jerry Seemingly Hinted At His Health Struggles During One Of His Final Interviews
While Jerry Springer didn’t go public with his pancreatic cancer struggle, he seemed to hint at his health struggles in one of his final interviews. When he was a guest on Channel Seven’s The Morning Show, Jerry spoke honestly when asked about his retirement plans. Jerry eerily hinted that his life would come to an end before he could retire.
“I think God may [have plans for when I retire], and so I hope he’s okay with me,” he said. “I figured when my judgment day comes, my closing argument [to God] when he’s ready to decide where to send me [is]… ‘Oh, remember my final thought?’ I hope that my final thought is the one that can speak to [my] character.”
Jerry was then asked what that final thought would be. He simply replied with his famous catchphrase he always used on his show, “Take care of yourself, and each other,” he said.
Larry Emdur, one of the hosts, attempted to lighten the mood by suggesting Jerry’s final thought “wasn’t enough” for him to get through the pearly gates. This made Jerry laugh. “No, that doesn’t even open the door!” Jerry said.
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Jerry did say he had other professional plans, including a desire to produce a show in Australia inspired by Judge Jerry, his own courtroom reality show which mirrored Judge Judy. “I think I should do a judge show in Australia and just apply Australian law to it, so give me a call,” he said, jokingly adding, “How’s that for trying to get employment?”
Jerry Revealed Whether The Guests On His Show Were Real Or Actors
During the appearance, Jerry also spilled secrets about The Jerry Springer Show. While some have speculated whether the guests were real or just actors, the host insisted what audiences saw was real. “I’d say it was 98 percent real. In fact, the lawyers were involved, [so] you’d get sued if you made it up,” he revealed.
Jerry also said that while his guests were genuine and honest, they would sometimes act over-the-top due to the atmosphere of the crowd. “The situations were truthful. What was embellished… was the reactions. Because you had the audience screaming, ‘Jerry! Jerry!'” Jerry explained.
“They’d seen the show 100 times before,” he continued. “And so you could have the same people on Oprah and they would have behaved perfectly. It’s just that when they came to our show, they kind of knew the drill and they just behaved like that.”
The show ran for nearly 4,000 episodes and first aired in September 1991. The show reached its peak in the late 90s. It had become so popular that Jerry starred in a 1998 feature film called Ringmaster, based on his controversial show. When looking back on his daytime success, Jerry said, “It was a crazy show. For 30 years and… it was enjoyable. Obviously, there was an audience that enjoyed it. [But] I never thought it had any redeeming social value. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt you, but it wouldn’t, you know, make you a better person either.”
However, Jerry did note that the show had one positive aspect, although it was unintentional. The host mused that the show shined a spotlight on certain aspects of society that had been judged or shut out.
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“Up until our show came along, American television was basically all upper-class white. And all of a sudden… you saw people who weren’t wealthy, who weren’t rich, who weren’t famous. They were regular people who had their own issues,” he said. “And we saw another side of America, which is a very real part, frankly. It’s a real part of every country, and that was shocking.”
