Jerry Springer completely transformed television as we knew it
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Throughout its nearly 30-year run, The Jerry Springer Show never failed to court controversy. The US talk show hosts’ television career was as illustrious as they come and, with his infamous series on air for nearly 4000 episodes. From screaming matches to full-on fistfights, The Jerry Springer Show quickly caught the world’s attention when it first hit television in the early 90s.
![[Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Steve Meddle/Shutterstock (3612694ba) Jerry Springer 'Loose Women' TV Programme, London, Britain - 28 Feb 2014]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SEI_153627278-3ee8.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Thanks to Springer, talk shows were no longer a slow-paced, sleepy affair. Now there was chanting, tears, and bodyguards a-plenty. Of course, the fact that Springer totally transformed the face of television wasn’t lost on him. Speaking in 2019, the English-born star said on an episode of Good Morning Britain: ‘It [gave a platform] to the people who make up the country.
![[jerry]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SEI_153624552-795c.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘I think that I’m proud it turned out to be a successful show, but the show was always nothing but a circus. ‘Up until that time television was always upper-middle class white and everyone on television reflected upper-middle class living. It really was the first time we saw a slice of the people that make up the country.’.
![[Jerry]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SEI_153625483-7c47.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
During its run, The Jerry Springer Show attracted criticism for pitting warring families against each other for entertainment and was proclaimed ‘the worst TV show of all time’ by TV Guide magazine in 2002. The series is now the focus of a two-part Netflix documentary series.
![[File photo dated 4/3/1999 of Jerry Springer at Selfridges store in London where he signed copies of his book 'Ringmaster' Springer, the one-time US mayor whose show unleashed chaos on TV screens, has died at the age of 79. Issue date: Thursday April 27, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story DEATH Springer. Photo credit should read: Michael Stephens/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SEI_153627174-413b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
