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| Jerry Springer | |
|---|---|
| File:Jerry Springer.jpgJerry Springer while hosting his popular TV show. | |
| Born | (1944-02-13) February 13, 1944 (age 80) London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Host of Jerry Springer Show Host of America's Got Talent |
| Spouse | Micki Velton |
- This article is about the talk show host. For the 1998 "Weird Al" Yankovic song, see Jerry Springer (song).
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer (born February 13, 1944) is a British-born American celebrity, a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, musician, television personality, and host of the controversial television tabloid talk show bearing his name, The Jerry Springer Show. He also hosted a talk radio program called Springer on the Radio. Since 2007, he replaced Regis Philbin as the host of America's Got Talent.
Early years
Springer was born in East Finchley tube station, London, England in 1944. His parents, Margot and Richard Springer, were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. In January 1949, he emigrated to the United States, settling in Queens, New York. He attended Forest Hills High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in 1965, majoring in political science. He earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Northwestern University in 1968 . He then became a political campaign aide to Robert Kennedy; after Kennedy's assassination, he joined the Cincinnati law firm of Frost & Jacobs, now Frost Brown Todd.
Political career
In 1970, Springer ran for Congress, but failed to unseat incumbent Republican Donald D. Clancy, garnering 45% of the vote. He had previously spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age, and had testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of ratification of the 26th Amendment.
Springer was elected to the Cincinnati city council in 1971 . He was forced to resign in 1974 after admitting to hiring a prostitute. The episode was uncovered when a police raid on a Fort Wright, Kentucky "massage parlor" unearthed a check Jerry Springer had written for its "services". Jerry Springer came clean at a press conference. His honesty helped him win back his seat in 1975. In 1977, he was chosen to serve one year as mayor by the City Council. Springer was also alluded to in a number of episodes of the television series WKRP in Cincinnati, but never appeared.
In 1982, Springer sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Ohio. As part of the campaign, Springer appeared in a TV commercial where he admits that he once paid a prostitute for sex with a check. He used this admission as way of proving that he wasn't afraid of the truth "even if it hurts". In 2006, the video began appearing on several internet sites.
After failing to win the party's nomination, Springer put his political career on hiatus.
Politics to journalism
His broadcast career started while he was still Mayor of Cincinnati with album-oriented rock radio station WEBN FM, noted for its laid-back and irreverent radio format. The station featured commentaries by Springer under the banner "The Springer Memorandum". The popularity of these commentaries helped launch his broadcasting career.
He was hired as a political reporter and commentator on Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, WLWT TV, which had, at the time, the lowest-rated news program. Later, having been named primary news anchor and Managing Editor, he needed a broadcast "catch phrase" in the model of other great newsmen. With the help of some others at WLWT, he created his signature line: "Take care of yourself, and each other". Within two years he was Cincinnati's number one news anchor, along with partner Norma Rashid, and for five years, the most popular one in the city, garnering 10 local Emmy Awards in the process. It was a position he held until January 1993.
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show debuted on 20 September 1991. It was developed by WLWT-TV to replace its Phil Donahue Show. It started as a politically oriented talk show, a longer version of Springer's commentaries. Guests included Oliver North and Jesse Jackson, and topics included homelessness and gun politics.
Springer revamped the format of the show in order to garner higher ratings. The show became more and more successful as it became more and more lowbrow. Its guests are typically lower class, minimally-educated, blue collar people confronted on a television stage with a spouse or family member's adultery, homosexuality, prostitution, transvestism, Ku Klux Klan membership, or other such situations. These confrontations often lead to profane shouting, chair-throwing, fist-fights, and removal of clothing. Though under some harsh criticism, Springer has always maintained that he has no control over the guests. If they were making up their story to get their 15 minutes of fame, he and his producers knew nothing of it. He showed outtakes in which a lesbian couple was caught lying about their affair.
On 10 July 2002, the sons of guest Nancy Campbell-Panitz, who was murdered by her ex-husband after they appeared on an episode with his girlfriend, filed suit in Sarasota County against Springer, his producers and his distributor, claiming he created "a mood that led to murder."
In 2005 a UK version was shown on ITV1 entitled The Springer Show. It beat its talkshow rival Trisha Goddard five to one in the ratings.
Other appearances
On January 17, 2005, Springer began hosting Springer on the Radio, a liberal talk show on Cincinnati's WCKY-AM. He did the show from the Clear Channel studios in Kenwood on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and in Chicago (where his television show tapes) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The VH-1 "celebreality" series The Springer Hustle, to premiere in mid-April, is a look at how The Jerry Springer Show is produced.
In March 2007, NBC announced that Springer would replace Regis Philbin as host of the show America's Got Talent.
Scandals
In May 1998, a photo story about Springer having sex with porn star Kendra Jade in Chicago's Executive Plaza Hotel appeared in the tabloids News of the World and The Globe. Kendra's stepmother Kelly Jade was also present in the hotel room, and Kendra, Kelly and porn director John Bowen appeared on Springer's show the next day, discussing a 350 person gang bang. Another tabloid reported that Springer's wife Micki left him because of this event. Kelly Jade later alleged that it all had been set up by Bowen who would receive several hundred thousand dollars from Springer to suppress a video tape of the romp shot with a hidden camera. Bowen denied the payoff and said that he had signed an agreement with Springer's lawyers not to discuss the matter.
Inspired by Springer
- Springer essentially portrayed himself in the 1998 movie Ringmaster, though his TV host character is named Jerry Farrelly. Ringmaster offers a behind-the-scenes look at would-be guests who apply to a Springer-like show.
- A musical by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas, Jerry Springer - The Opera, is based on his show. It first became popular at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2002 . It has since played at the Royal National Theatre in London, and has moved to London's West End. It was also screened on BBC 2 Television, causing some controversy.
- Jerry Springer made a cameo appearance in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me as himself during an episode of his show featuring Dr. Evil and his estranged son Scott Evil.
References
- TV Springer in sex romps with guests. News of the World, May 10, 1998.
- Springer hires investigator after tape shows him having sex with 2 women, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 14, 1998
- Sex film Springer dumped by wife. Daily Record, May 30, 1998.
- John T. Bone, collection by Luke Ford
- Windsong - A "Bone" of Contention For Former Cream Entertainment Partners. AVN News, March 3, 1999
- John Kieswetter. "Springer ready to take radio show national". Cincinnati Enquirer. March 21, 2005. D1.
External links
- The Jerry Springer Show
- Springer on the Radio
- Jerry Springer - the Opera
- NNDB Profile: Jerry Springer
| Preceded byJim Luken | Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio 1977-1978 |
Succeeded byBobbie L. Sterne |
- Articles lacking sources from May 2007
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