Jerry Springer may have hosted various shows over his television career, but his legacy is defined by The Jerry Springer Show.
The series is a pioneer of the “tabloid talk show”, a subgenre which shot to popularity in the 1990s. Springer hosted the show from 1991 to 2018, before he went onto host projects like Judge Jerry and The Jerry Springer Podcast.
The Jerry Springer Show is the subject of Netflix documentary Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, which covers various scandals surrounding the series both on and off screen. The two-part documentary debuted in January 2025.
What happened to Jerry Springer?
‘The Jerry Springer Show’ CREDIT: Getty Images
One year after he retired from television, Jerry Springer died from pancreatic cancer on April 27, 2023 at the age of 79. He died at his home in Chicago, in what was described as “a brief illness” by his family at the time.
Jene Galvin, a longtime friend and spokesperson for the family, said: “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 humour will live on.”
According to a report on TMZ, Springer and his family kept his cancer diagnosis private from the public so his health struggle “wouldn’t become a burden” to others.
Speaking to People, his longtime friend Rabbi Sandford Kopnick said: “He hasn’t been sick for a long time. He died of cancer, and he didn’t have cancer for very long.”
What did he say about the show’s legacy?
‘The Jerry Springer Show’ came to an end in 2018 CREDIT: Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
Speaking about The Jerry Springer Show in November 2022, five months before his death, the talk show host apologised for the show’s impact on television.
Asked if he considers himself the “grandad of reality TV” on David Yontef’s Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, Springer replied: “No, I just apologise. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture.”
He joked: “I just hope hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected, and that kind of worries me.”
Springer further described himself as “just a schlub who got lucky”, and that having a career in showbusiness was “never a thought in my mind”.
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