Jerry Springer, who died on Apr. 27, 2023, at 79, was best known for his scandalous daytime talk show, which ran for 27 years. Did you know he also hosted America’s Got Talent for two seasons, from 2007 to 2008? He replaced Regis Philbin, who hosted the first season. Get ready for some amazing Jerry Springer trivia facts about the unstoppable mayor, news professional, and TV host.
1. He Escaped the Nazis
Jerry Springer was born in London in 1944 to Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany.
2. He Became American at 5
Springer moved to New York with his family in 1949 when he was only five.
3. He’s a Law Graduate
He graduated from Tulane University in 1965 and Northwestern University School of Law in 1968.
4. He Worked with Robert F. Kennedy
Young Jerry Springer worked as a political campaign adviser to Robert F. Kennedy. He later joined a law firm in Cincinnati but soon returned to his political aspirations.
5. Mayor Jerry Springer
Springer was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 1971 but resigned in 1974 after admitting to hiring a prostitute. He won back his seat in 1975 and became mayor of Cincinnati in 1977.
6. He Wanted to be Governor
Jerry Springer ran for Ohio governor in 1982 but finished third in the Democratic primary.
7. A Multiple Emmy Winner News Anchor
Springer started broadcasting as a political reporter and commentator on NBC’s WLWT in Cincinnati in 1982. He became the station’s primary news anchor and managing editor and won 10 local Emmy Awards for his commentary.
8. He Ruled Daytime TV
Springer launched “The Jerry Springer Show” in 1991 as a talk show that featured guests revealing shocking details of their lives and often getting into physical fights. The show became a ratings hit and a cultural phenomenon for 27 years.
9. He appeared in Austin Powers
Springer loved appearing as himself or a fictionalized version of himself in movies and TV shows. Such appearances include “Ringmaster,” “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “The Simpsons,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and “Roseanne.”
10. Springer’s Got Talent
Jerry Springer hosted NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” for two seasons from 2007 to 2008. In 2022, Springer participated in the eighth season of The Masked Singer, another popular competition show, where he was unmasked as “Beetle.”
11. Springer on Broadway
He appeared on Broadway twice as a replacement for the Narrator in “The Rocky Horror Show” in 2001 and Billy Flynn in “Chicago” in 2009.
12. His Final Moments
Jerry Springer died peacefully at his home in suburban Chicago on Apr. 27, 2023, after a brief illness with pancreatic cancer. He was 79 years old.
Sources
Most of the world’s major news outlets covered Jerry Springer’s death. Here are the sources for the Jerry Springer trivia facts mentioned in this article.
- AP News: Jerry Springer, politician turned talk show host, dies at 79
- CNN: Jerry Springer, former Cincinnati mayor and talk show host, dead at 79
- NPR: Jerry Springer dies at 79 — the talk show host also served as Cincinnati mayor
- The Guardian: Jerry Springer, influential US talk show host, dies aged 79
- Variety: Jerry Springer Dead: Controversial TV Host Was 79
- Reuters: Jerry Springer, raucous talk show host, dead at 79
News Trivia Quiz Time
Now that you got some essential Jerry Springer trivia facts, how about a news trivia game?
