Longtime Talk Show Host Jerry Springer Dead at 79

Facts

• Jerry Springer, the former politician-turned-host of the controversial "The Jerry Springer Show," died on Thursday in suburban Chicago at the age of 79. His death was confirmed by Jene Galvin, a family friend and executive producer of Springer’s podcast.¹
• Springer was born in London in 1944 to parents Richard and Margot, German Jews who fled to England to escape the Holocaust. At just a few years old, the family moved to Queens, New York. He studied political science at Tulane University and later received a law degree from Northwestern University.²
• He was elected to the Cincinnati city council in 1971 but resigned three years later after confessing to soliciting a prostitute. Running as a liberal, he was re-elected in 1977, after which the council picked him to be the city's mayor for one year.³
• "The Jerry Springer Show," which first aired in 1991 as an issue-oriented program, began producing salacious content in 1993.¹
• The show, which came to be known as a chair-throwing and expletive-filled program, aired more than 4k episodes before coming to an end in 2018. At its peak, it was a ratings powerhouse and even topped Oprah Winfrey's show.⁴
• Funeral and memorial services are reportedly still being planned, but his family has asked the public to consider honoring him by donating to "a worthy advocacy organization" or simply being kind to someone.³

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²ABC News, ³Guardian, and ⁴Breitbart.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Los Angeles Times. Through his wit and intellect, Jerry Springer was able to lead an extraordinary career in politics and show business. He opened a new door into what entertainment could be, and his vision was vindicated by years of successful ratings. He also understood the importance of treating people with respect and separating his political views from what he aired on TV. His closing remarks to each episode, to "take care of yourselves and each other," exemplified his status as a man and how he lived his life.
• Narrative B, as provided by Independent. Even Springer himself has apologized for participating in the degeneracy of his show. In his own words, he "ruined the culture." While he may have been thrown into the sensationalized culture of Hollywood without knowing what he was getting into, "The Jerry Springer Show" launched a new era of TV lawlessness and decadence before millions of viewers.