Jerry Gave His Honest Take On 'The Jerry Springer Show' One Year Ago

On Thursday, talk show host Jerry Springerlost his battle with cancer at the age of 79.

In addition to being the former mayor of Cincinnati, the former politician hosted "The Jerry Springer Show" for 27 seasons and "Judge Jerry" for only three.

However, it is his flagship show, which ran from 1991 to 2018 and featured more than 5,000 episodes, that is best remembered by fans. That being said, approximately one year before his death, Jerry called his show "stupid."

The former politician took part in a March 2022 interview with Page Six over Zoom, a little over a year from when he passed away. Although he called the show "fun," he did admit that "it was a stupid show."

“I can’t think of anything more fun,” Jerry said at the time. “I mean, I never took it seriously. I always knew it was a stupid show. But it’s fun, and people enjoyed it.” He compared the experience of watching the show to chewing bubble gum, saying, “It isn’t going to save the world, but it’s not going to kill you, either.”

Jerry went on to say that the show had “a democratic quality to it” that introduced the world to all kinds of people who were not usually featured on television. He then compared it to popular 90s sitcoms, such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld."

“‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Frasier,’ ‘Friends,’ it was always well-scrubbed-looking, upper-middle-class people. And that was it, and all of a sudden my show comes on,” he recalled. He said that “The Jerry Springer Show” showcased people who “had never really been on television before,” which is what led to the show’s massive appeal.

Jerry also joked that, compared to social media today, “Our show is like ‘I Love Lucy.’” Although the show started off by discussing gun control and homelessness, by 1994, the show turned to more "shocking" topics in order to boost its ratings. At one point, it was watched by more people than "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in certain cities!

Sadly, 2022 was a busy year for the former talk show host. After hanging up his judge’s robes on “Judge Jerry,” he continued to make appearances in “America’s Got Talent,” “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” and even performed on “The Masked Singer” dressed as a giant beetle.

In a statement he wrote in March 2022, Jerry wrote, “I’m 78 and have been in front of the camera now for 40 years, plus 10 years in politics. I’m winding down," adding, “I want to try out retirement while I’m still healthy. I don’t have to make a living. I want to enjoy life.”

"The Jerry Springer Show" was known for some outrageous moments that left audiences chanting "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!".

One of the episodes featured a man named Earl that told audiences that he cut off his own p---- after another man expressed interest in him. Although some people at home were skeptical, Jerry Springer claimed that the story was real in a 2016 interview with the Huffington Post.

“It was gone. You have to check. Lawyers are all over. We had the police look for it, the hospital look for it, everything,” he said at the time, nothing that his audience was more surprised that Earl got rid of it by “flushing it down the toilet.”

However, the episode that Jerry deemed the “most bizarre” in the show’s history was a woman in 2006 that said that she was “happy” to have cut off both of her legs with a power saw.

The 48-year-old woman told the shocked talk show host, “I didn’t want them. My brain just kept saying, ‘Get rid of them.’ So I had to get rid of them.”

That being said, there were a few romantic stories to come out of the show as well. In 2006, a man named Johnny didn’t know why he was on the show, except for the fact that he was in for a “surprise.” His best friend, Judah, then came out on stage and showed off his dance moves.

After telling Johnny that he was the “only person who has respected him,” he serenaded his friend about a “naked peek-a-boo” and then got down on one knee. Johnny accepted his proposal and the two kissed on stage.