CHICAGO — Jerry Springer, the celebrated talk show host and former Mayor of Cincinnati, died April 27, at his home here, after a “brief illness.” He was 79.
Springer was best known for his 27-year, near-4,000-episode run as the host of the eponymous talkshow, which featured guests who purportedly engaged in controversial behavior. Springer loomed so large in pop culture that he was even the subject of a parody by Weird Al Yankovic.
MSTies may remember that was mentioned in a host segment in episode 905- THE DEADLY BEES.
Thanks to Torgover for the heads up.
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The Jerry Springer show was the beginning of trash TV.
i can only imagine what his funeral will be like.
How quickly we forget Morton Downey Jr. (and Geraldo)
Remember when the first season of America’s Got Talent was supposed to be a goofy “modern Gong Show”, with Springer hosting bad acts?
(Springer has always had personal delusions of Chuck Barris-hood, like when his “Ringmaster” movie tried to homage the half-remembered on-paper plot of “The Gong Show Movie”, back before anyone could ever look up the original on video.)
And his talk show shared one other thing in common with pro wrestling: It was usually completely fake.
I remember reading a post by one girl who confessed that her gay drama-club friend deliberately tried to audition on the show as a “Two-timing sexist womanizer” about to be confronted/beat up by his exes. He fooled casting, and appeared.