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 is also the current host of America's Got Talent.
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 Kew Gardens, 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 F. Kennedy; after Kennedy's assassination, he joined the Cincinnati law firm of Frost & Jacobs, now Frost Brown Todd.
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. TV commercials for Springer's campaign referenced his use of a check to pay a prostitute; it was a way of proving that he wasn't afraid of the truth "even if it hurts".He failed to win the party's nomination, and his political career was put on hiatus. Springer considered running for the United States Senate in 2003, but backed down due to negative affiliations with The Jerry Springer Show.
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 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, with an emphasis on infidelity. 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, hate group membership, or other such situations. These confrontations often (contrived) 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. Despite of the claims, many former guests and media experts have attested that the show is indeed fake and scripted.
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, despite being a subdued version of the US show.
The VH-1 "celebreality" series The Springer Hustle, a look at how The Jerry Springer Show is produced, premiered April 2007.
Springer portrayed his own talk show host character in the 1998 movie Ringmaster, though his character's name is Jerry Farrelly. Ringmaster offers a behind-the-scenes look at would-be guests who apply to a Springer-like show. The same year, Springer also relased an unrelated autobiography named Ringmaster; he claimed "I can only think of one title a year."
From January 17, 2005 to December 5, 2006, Springer hosted 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.
In the fall of 2006, Springer was a contestant on the third season of Dancing with the Stars, with his professional dance partner, Kym Johnson. He wanted to appear on the show so he could learn the waltz for the wedding of his daughter, Katie. Springer and Johnson were eliminated in the seventh week of competition.
In March 2007, NBC announced that Springer would be the host of America's Got Talent in its second season, replacing Regis Philbin.
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.
