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:
I think Jerry took it to a performance level, though. I think that Jerry knew what he was doing. He brought the combatants into the ring, and he let them tear each other apart. Whatever the issue of the moment was, he was very visceral, very real. I always marveled at how calm he always was, holding his notes, and he'd step off to the side, and Steve or one of the other henchmen would go and separate the combatants.
The reporter continued his praise of Springer by calling him a “Renaissance man” given his storied path from politics to TV stardom. Rivera recalled the two men developing a nice rapport as they continued working on TV beyond the 1990s talk show craze. Jerry Springer and his self-titled chatfest were both loved and hated by fans and detractors alike with critics dubbing his show “trash TV” throughout its 27-season run.
Despite the show’s controversial and raucous nature, Geraldo Rivera felt Jerry Springer was able to maneuver the most outrageous moments with ease. Rivera explained how Springer was able to stand out from the tabloid talk show pack, saying:
He could be as serious as any statesman, or as raucous as any burlesque carnival barker. I think that's what made him so resilient, and gave him the chops to last through the decades, and so many different capacities -- game show host, talk show host, mayor, legislator. He really did it all. He had a very full life, and he seemed to enjoy it, and he had that catchphrase -- 'Take care of yourself and others,' you know, kind of a kindness. So, even though the show could be very rough and sometimes rude and crude, he ended with the note of kindness. He ended with a note of, 'Let's recognize that we're all in this together.'
Springer always managed to bring sanity to an otherwise chaotic situation. Geraldo Rivera spoke to this side of Jerry Springer by calling him “unflappable with kind of a steady demeanor.” Being levelheaded allowed the TV host to transition from tabloid talk to primetime TV. He ended up hosting competition series like America’s Got Talent and Baggage and headlining the courtroom show Judge Jerry from 2019 to 2022. The host even delved into acting and performing with several films and TV guest spots like his brief time on The Masked Singer. Despite Springer's death, there are still daytime talk shows to catch on TV as seen on our 2023 TV schedule, and his legacy will always be remembered.
Jerry Springer meant a lot to so many over the years. In honor of Springer’s memory, we at CinemaBlend send our condolences to the late TV personality’s family and friends during this tough time.
