Jerry Springer, the famous American television host, died at the age of 79
Steph Deschamps / April 29, 2023
Mr. Springer died peacefully in Chicago after "a short illness," the people's website TMZ said, citing a family source.
The American host Jerry Springer, known for his controversial shows peppered with swear words, vulgarities and physical altercations, died Thursday at the age of 79 from cancer, several American media reported.
Springer, who also entered politics and served as mayor of Cincinnati, died peacefully in Chicago after "a short illness," the celebrity website TMZ said, citing a family source.
It would be a cancer of the pancreas, diagnosed a few months ago.
Launched in September 1991, "The Jerry Springer Show" which ended in 2018 after 27 years on the air, had become a cult and a symbol of American "trash TV ».
The show started out as a classic talk show, focusing on social issues and American politics.
Lawyer and politician, mayor of Cincinnati in the state of Ohio (northeastern United States) for one year in 1977, Jerry Springer was at the helm, in a relatively polished style.
But after a few years, in order to improve the ratings, this son of German-Jewish immigrants had radically changed the tone of his program, switching to the quest for the spectacular at all costs.
In the majority of the episodes, guests came to talk about their marital or family problems, exposing adultery, cheating and baseness.
Directed by Jerry Springer, the discussion regularly ended in fistfights, the protagonists being held back, only occasionally, by security guards.
In the late 1990s, the show had the highest ratings of any daytime program, ahead of host Oprah Winfrey's must-see talk show, « Oprah.