Jerry Springer’s televised reign was long, but all things, good or bad, come to an end.
Many may not be aware, but The Jerry Springer Show began its run as a political discourse program where Springer would mull over hot-button issues with distinguished guests (think something like The Today Show). It was far more of a thinking person’s show than the brainless affair it would quickly shift to.
For the bulk of its 27-year run, The Jerry Springer Show was the epitome of "trash TV." Screaming, name-calling, and physical brawls among guests were extremely common as the series shined a spotlight on their supposed relationship issues.
How The Jerry Springer Show Got Cancelled
In June 2018, it was reported that after 27 years on air, The Jerry Springer Show had halted production on new episodes by order of its owner NBC Universal (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The CW picked up the rights to air reruns of Jerry but the series was effectively canceled.
Making matters more frustrating for fans, an official reason for its cancellation was never offered. The Jerry Springer Show left behind a back catalog of nearly 3,900 episodes over 27 seasons.
Not one to just kick back and retire, Jerry Springer took on hosting duties for another daytime series. The courtroom show Judge Jerry began in 2019 and racked up over 350 episodes before concluding in 2022.
Springer spoke to the New York Post about Judge Jerry back when it premiered:
"Honestly, at 75 I thought I’d be retiring. NBC had been talking to me for years about doing something else, and they thought the judge show was a natural fit because I started out as a lawyer and it’s a daytime audience — the same audience with me in a different role, but a role that I believe people can accept."
The Jerry Springer Show’s Sordid Legacy
It could be argued that The Jerry Springer Show did more harm than good.
For starters, the program was violent. Punches, kicks, and chairs were routinely thrown episodes, as disagreements and conflicts rapidly broke out among guests.
But more damningly, The Jerry Springer Show was relentlessly and horrendously transphobic. Transgender people, or, in some cases, people claiming to be trans, were outed on-air and targeted with vitriolic ridicule, and in some cases, outright violence, all while Springer and his staff did very little to mitigate the situation.
The impact that these displays had on both the public’s perception of trans people and trans folks themselves has been long-lasting and unfathomably damaging.
Now, The Jerry Springer Show’s authenticity has been questioned by many. The show was labeled "fake" innumerable times, especially during the height of its popularity.
It does not take much searching on the internet to find stories of real people who appeared on Jerry calling the program out as being completely fabricated. Still, Springer always maintained that what viewers saw was legitimate.
If The Jerry Springer Show truly was bogus, it would help to diminish its exploitative nature. Because if all the stories were simply made up, then the “real people” featured in them were merely acting.
Whatever the case may be, The Jerry Springer Show is well and truly done, considering that Jerry Springer died in 2023 at age 79. But this has not stopped imitators from springing up. Netflix and comedian Tim Dillon’s This Is Your Country recently utilized Jerry’s format for an hour-long special.
Select seasons of The Jerry Springer Show are available to stream on Peacock.
