Jerry Springer, syndicated talk-show host and politician, dies at 79

Jerry Springer, the bespectacled syndicated talk-show host and former Cincinnati mayor who reigned over daytime television for nearly three decades, has died. He was 79.

Springer died Thursday at his home in the suburbs of Chicago after “a brief illness,” his family confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. Multiple outlets, including TMZ, have reported that Springer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months ago.

“Jerry’s ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word,” said Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesman for the family, in a statement.

The original fake drama provocation guru!

Rest in unrest, fucker!!!

Before Springer, there was Morton Downey, Jr.

What's interesting here is that, most folks don't know, he was a replacement for Donohue. His first season was very serious, political, social. The ratings were really bad. They decided to address more controversial topics, and the ratings started to turn around. The rest is history.

Say what you want about him, but he found a niche in what is now normal daytime TV.

Even Springer knew it was a farce, although there were real folks on there. I worked with a gal in 1994 who had been on Springer, with her husband and his ex a year or so before. Early in his turn from the first season. It wasn't quite as outrageous as it was years later. She spoke well of her experience in general.

It's not that he had this show which had trash people on it. It's that the public gravitated toward that sort of entertainment. It's not entirely Springer's "fault" for it happening. Had folks like Sally Jesse, Ricki Lake, Maury Povich, Jenny Jones (who had a guest murder another for admitting he was gay and had a crush on a straight friend), Geraldo, and eventually Steve Wilkos not turned to that sort of entertainment for ratings, he could've bombed again.

Even Oprah was doing tabloid type TV for a while in her early years in syndication, until she realized she didn't want to put that into the world. Remember, she put herself square in the middle of a room of white supremacists. Not stupid, but to give those people an hour of television was a bad move. Even the group said later they used it as a recruiting tool and were signaling each other during the show to say or do certain things.

So the public deserves a lot of the blame for tabloid television.

His worst sin was soliciting a hooker.

r.i.p. sir.

This guy was a classic. I didn't watch Jerry Springer as much as I watched Maury Povich, but he had a lot of funny guests.

RJOrion said:

Soliciting hookers is not a sin...its a necessary and beneficial community service...for all parties involved

Sex work is work.