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Vale: Jerry Springer

Controversial US talk host Jerry Springer has died.

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Controversial US talk host Jerry Springer, whose daytime show became a syndicated hit around the world, has died, aged 79.

Springer passed away peacefully at his home in Chicago on Thursday. He had reportedly had been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago.

“Jerry’s ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word,” Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesman for the family, said. “He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humour will live on.”

The Jerry Springer Show ran from 1991 – 2018, known for its outrageous guests who often got into crazy fights as the audience cheered, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!” On-screen security guards were present and tasked with managing the potential violence.

It was full of controversial topics inclduing incest, adultery, profanity, nudity, and scantily clad guests. Topics included “My boyfriend turned out to be a girl”, “I want my man to stop watching porn!”, and the man who married his horse.

In 2000, one couple appeared on an episode titled “Secret Mistresses Confronted” alongside the husband’s ex-wife, whom the couple accused of stalking. She was found dead the day the episode premiered, and the man was ultimately convicted of her murder.

The show even inspired a critically acclaimed Jerry Springer: The Opera, a British comment on US society. It played in Australia with David Wenham in the lead role.

Before TV, Springer was a politician who ran a failed campaign for U.S. Congress in 1970, got elected to Cincinnati’s City Council in 1971 … and became the city’s mayor in 1977.

He made one more run in TV, with his courtroom show, Judge Jerry, which ran for 3 seasons.

Springer’s last TV appearance came last season on The Masked Singer performing as “The Beetle,” singing a Frank Sinatra classic.

Springer once said his day job was a circus with “no redeeming social value.”

“I would never watch my show. I’m not interested in it. It’s not aimed towards me. This is just a silly show,” he said.

Source: TMZ

6 Responses

  2. The Jerry Springer Show had brought the weird and strange, the characters that you wouldn’t otherwise see to the mainstream. The culture of the show seemed to create a space where aggression was egged on. It never got that heated with The Ricki Lake Show.

    The ‘final thoughts’ segments always had good wisdom. The messages of wisdom and kindness made it to the guests and viewers that needed it most, but wouldn’t have gotten it any other way. These were the people in America that were not mainstream.

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