Jerry Springer Dies; Beloved TV Personality Was 79

Jerry Springer, the television host best known for his wildly controversial daytime talk show, has passed away at the age of 79.

According to his family, Springer died following a brief battle with cancer.

Springer began his career in politics, working as an adviser to Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, and later becoming a partner at a prominent Cincinnati law firm.

After being chosen by the city counsel to serve one year as mayor of Cincinnati, Springer began working as a political reporter for a local CBS affiliate.

Few could have imagined where his broadcasting career would take him.

The Jerry Springer Show debuted in 1991, one of the many syndicated daytime talk series that dominated the airwaves in those days.

The idea was for Jerry to follow in the footsteps of earnest successors such as Oprah Winfrey and Phil Donahue.

But the competition for ratings led to increasingly bold choices with regard to guests and topics.

In 1994, Springer and producer Richard Domenick re-conceptualized the show, resulting in the circus-like environment that would make Jerry (his first name was frequently chanted by his unruly studio audience) a TV legend.

Over the next 24 years, Springer would serve as both emcee and smirking voice of reason as the show explored increasingly wild concepts, often devolving into violent chaos, with guests hurling chairs at one another on stage.

Through it all, Jerry maintained his charmingly dry sense of humor, never taking the proceedings too seriously, and always reminding the audience that he was in on the joke.

The wildly popular series spawned several spin-offs, including the short-lived Springer Show (a more subdued version for British audiences) and the still-running Steve Wilkos Show (hosted by Springer’s head of security, who was often trotted out to break up fights on stage).

Springer remained active in television until the end of his life, hosting the courtroom show Judge Jerry until 2022, and making self-deprecating appearances on series like Jersey Shore and The Simpsons.

On social media, news of Springer’s passing elicited an outpouring of kind words from his legion of devoted fans.

“Oh no…RIP Jerry Springer …thank you for giving 90s kids something to watch when we stayed home “sick” from school,” one person tweeted.

“He was an American cultural icon,” wrote another.

“If his show was around today, he’d have billions of viral views.”

As a final tribute to Jerry’s life and legacy, we’ll leave you with the parting words he used to sign off so many broadcasts:

Be good to yourselves … and each other.

Jerry Springer Dies; Beloved TV Personality Was 79 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.