With all the storylines and explosive fights, "The Jerry Springer Show" was chaos at its best. No one, though, would accuse the show of being overtly newsy… not even the host.
"I can't think of anything more fun," Jerry told Page Six of his legendary eponymous talk show. "I mean, I never took it seriously. I always knew it was a stupid show. But it's fun, and people enjoyed it."
While it's almost impossible to not have an opinion about the show, you can't understate its success, as it aired for 27 seasons between 1991 and 2018. In all, over 5,000 shows aired. Initially, "The Jerry Springer Show" dealt with politics and mainstream issues, but it quickly changed and focused on cheating, race, paternity and other tantalizing issues that were gritty and largely eschewed on network TV.
The show, Jerry said, had "a democratic quality to it."
"'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," Jerry said, taking pride in the fact that he gave a platform to people who "had never really been on television before."
Interestingly, but today's standards, Jerry, 78, thinks his show is tame, especially when compared to what can be found on social media.
"Our show is like 'I Love Lucy,'" he joked.
These days, Jerry is still on TV, but in a much different facet. The former lawyer and politician is now the star of "Judge Jerry," which is in its third season of syndication. In a drastic shift from his talk show, the TV icon maintains a courtroom that isn't boastful or brash.
"It's just not my personality. No one would take it seriously if all of a sudden I started [yelling]. A lot of people watched for 27 years my crazy show, but I'm never yelling at the guests, I'm never cursing," he said. "So it's easier to be yourself than to play any other role. That's what I feel, right?"