Jerry Springer, the longtime TV tabloid talkshow host, has died.
Before becoming a television host, Springer served on Cincinnati’s City Council in 1971 and became the city’s mayor in 1977, serving one term.
In 2010, as The Jerry Springer Show celebrated its 20th anniversary, springer said when asked about being “The Godfather of Trash TV”,
It’s probably accurate. I don’t know what the award for that is, but I think it is true that we were probably one of the first shows to present some of the outrageousness we have.”
I think [the show is] silly, crazy and has no redeeming social value other than an hour of escapism. There is never anything on our show that hasn’t been on the front pages of newspapers in America.
The only difference is that the people on my show aren’t famous.
It’s a show about craziness. I know that going in every day.”
The show peaked in 2000, when a German man was accused of killing his ex-wife after they appeared together on Springer’s show with the man’s new wife. Ralf Panitz was convicted of second-degree murder for beating Nancy Panitz to death.
Springer said that year on Larry King Live, in his first major interview since the murder.
Well, one, it’s horrible that obviously the person was murdered.
You know, when I first heard it, I can came back home and I figured: Oh, my gosh, you know. But then, you know, we were told it had nothing do with show. It was two and a half months prior, so it had nothing to do with the show.
But that – it still – it’s horrible.”
In 2018, he inked a deal with NBC for a new show, Judge Jerry, that featured him as a judge in a courtroom.
