27 April 2023 , 17:10
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Jerry Springer, the era-defining talk show host, has died aged 79 at his home outside Chicago on Thursday after a "brief illness", according to his family.
The talk show host was best known for The Jerry Springer Show which ran for 27 years and was famous for its wild crowd and fights between guests.
In 2018, the long-running chat show was cancelled after a total of 4,000 episodes and was first broadcast in 1991.
The show, hosted by the late former politician Springer, was quietly cancelled by NBC Universal with no official announcement at the time, but producers said there was the "possibility" of more original shows in the future.
The iconic Jerry Springer show was quietly cancelled after 27 years (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Springer's iconic talk show featured guests airing their relationship and family problems in front of a live studio audience, with wild confrontations often getting out of hand.
Jerry Springer hits back at rumours his show was fake and says it was '98% real'
Meanwhile, Judge Jerry, the continuation of Springer's chat show, came to end in September 2022 with NBC deciding not to move forward with the court-themed show due to falling ratings.
After it was cancelled, Springer reflected on the The Jerry Springer Show's impact and admitted regret over the controversial series.
Speaking on David Yontef's Behind the Velvet Rope podcast, Springer said: “I just apologise. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture."
Springer apologised for "ruining the culture" with his chat show (WireImage)
Springer became a household name (Getty Images)He added: “I just hope hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected, and that kind of worries me.”
The chat show host turned to TV after a career in politics and was elected Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio in 1977.
On his transition from politics to TV, Springer told Yontef: “After being mayor, I was offered the job to anchor the news for the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati. I did that for 10 years and that was a kind of rational transition and then how the show happened was pure luck.”
“The company that owned the station where I did the news owned talk shows. They owned Phil Donahue, Sally Jesse Raphael. Well, Phil was retiring. And so the CEO took me to lunch one day and said, Phil’s retiring, we are starting a new talk show. You’re the host," he added.
On Thursday, spokesperson and close family friend Jene Galvin confirmed his death in a statement: "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.
"He's irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on."