The death of TV icon Jerry Springer shocked many across the board as they learned he had battled cancer silently. Loyal viewers weren’t the only ones affected by his passing as many of his talk show contemporaries paid tribute to the late TV star, and some colleagues even reflected on his impact on daytime TV like former talk show host Geraldo Rivera. Rivera opened up about why he marveled at Springer and what the late TV personality brought to the daytime landscape.
Both Springer and Rivera were the kings of tabloid TV in the 1990s. While Rivera bowed out of the game by the late 1990s, Springer kept going until The Jerry Springer Show ended in 2018. Despite being seen as a competitor by many daily TV viewers, the Fox News host greatly admired the host and the performative nature he brought to his show. The talk show veteran told ET about the late daytime TV host and his controversial show:
