Legendary Talk Show Host Jerry Springer passed away

Legendary US talk show host Jerry Springer, whose program became a symbol of low-brow television with its on-air fights, swearing and infidelity revelations, has passed away. He was 79. Springer, whose show became an international hit that ran for 27 years, died peacefully at his home in Chicago.

Launched in 1991, “The Jerry Springer Show” began life as an ordinary talk show focusing on social issues and US politics, led by the-then mild-mannered lawyer and former politician Springer, who briefly served as the mayor of Cincinnati in 1977.

In most episodes, guests came to talk about family problems and expose adultery and other transgressions. Springer would supposedly try to mediate but the encounters often ended up in fisticuffs, with guests being held back by security guards. In the late 1990s, the show topped the daytime television ratings in the US, beating out even Oprah. It ended its run in 2018.