Jerry Springer has apologized for his controversial talk show, The Jerry Singer Show.
The seventy-eight-year-old broadcaster made the apology on David Yontef’s Behind the Velvet Rope podcast.
Keep reading to find out more…
Jerry Springer is a broadcaster, former lawyer, and politician.
He’s best known for his time on The Jerry Singer Show.
The daytime talk show featured controversial topics and outrageous guest behavior.
Before he skyrocketed to fame, his family moved to the US when he was just 5-years-old, taking up residence in New York City.Â
In 1965 he graduated from Tulane University with a Political Science degree under his belt.
3-years after, he then earned himself a law degree from the Northwestern University School of Law based in Chicago.
After his graduation, he worked on the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy.
But by the time the early 70’s hit, Springer embarked on his own political career in Ohio, serving on Cincinnati’s city council.
However, in 1974, he was forced to resign from the council over a controversy involving prostitution, but he regained his seat at the next election.
In 1977, he was then elected as mayor of the city, where he served for 1 year.
After his run as mayor, he then diverted his focus to television journalism.
However, his interest in politics still remained with him.
He regularly appeared on television programs to speak about his liberal philosophy.
But he then returned to the world of politics back in 2004 to run for US Senate.
During the early 80s, Springer then started to work as a reporter at a local television station.
He later ranked up higher to become an anchor and was the recipient of 7 Emmy Awards for commentaries.
When the 80s came to an end, things were looking great for the news anchor…
In 1991, he got into talk shows with the debut of The Jerry Springer Show.
For the first few seasons, the show was struggling immensely…
But by the mid-1990s, it was known for its controversial topics, such as inc*st, adultery, physical fights, and profanity.
The Jerry Springer Show was described by many political and community leaders as “trash TV.”
And there were even heavy allegations going around that the entire series was staged.
But despite the backlash it received…
The show proved to be a huge success for television viewers.
In fact, the show was such a success that it went on to win awards and inspire other talk shows.
However, in 2018 The Jerry Springer Show was canceled.
It was announced the show had moved to the CW channel.
Some previously unseen episodes were expected to air once the show moved.
As well as hosting talk shows and being a mayor…
Springer was also an actor and featured in several movies.
In 1998 Springer starred in the movie Ringmaster.
The movie was solely based on the Springer-esque television show.
He also made an appearance in Citizen Verdict, which was released in 2003.
And The Defender, which was released in 2004, where he played the president of the United States.
Outside of his talk show, he appeared on America’s Got Talent, from 2007 to 2008 and hosted the 2008 Miss Universe Pageant.
Springer recently opened up about his controversial show, saying how sorry he is due to the negative impact it had on people.
The Jerry Springer show spanned for more than twenty-seven years, and viewers saw a lot of wild content.
In a piece for The Guardian, author Stuart Heritage explained how the show “splashed around in humanity’s worst excesses.”
“In episodes with titles such as ‘I’m Pregnant by a Transsexual!’ and ‘Lesbolicious’, Springer would introduce a guest, hear their complaints, bring on an aggressor and watch as they verbally and physically attacked each other,” Heritage wrote.
He then went on to write that Springer would not even watch his problematic show as he stated it was not “aimed towards me.”
He told Reuters: “I would never watch my show. I’m not interested in it. It’s not aimed towards me. This is just a silly show.”
Not only was the show attacking vulnerable people, but it promoted aggression.
Across the series, viewers saw men and women physically fighting on stage.
Another notorious feature of the show was the use of a bell.
The bell was used as a signal for guests to fight each other.
There’s no doubt the show went to the extreme to provide the entertainment viewers at home wanted.
And now, Springer has appeared on David Yontef’s Behind the Velvet Rope podcast…
And showed sympathy toward the people his show impacted.
“I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture.
“I just hope hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected, and that kind of worries me,” Springer said.
What do you think?