The death of the “Jerry Springer” talk show host was reported by the Herald-Tribune’s sister publication USA TODAY and confirmed by his family. The statement obtained by USA TODAY said Springer, who served as mayor of Cincinnati before launching his talk show career, died peacefully Thursday at his home in suburban Chicago.
Following his controversial tabloid show airing for 27 seasons, from 1991-2018, Springer hosted “Judge Jerry” from 2019 to 2022. His numerous other television credits throughout the years include hosting “America’s Got Talent” and he appeared as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars. He also starred in the 1998 film “Ringmaster” and made a cameo in the 1999 hit movie “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.”
Springer served as mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 and ’78 and wrote a political guest column for the Herald-Tribune that last ran in July 2022. Springer’s bio for this publication noted that he was “a longtime nationally syndicated television talk show host who resides in Sarasota. Springer held a law degree from Northwestern University. He was the host of ‘The Jerry Springer Podcast.'”
Springer’s final column ran with the headline “Get the popcorn ready: The DeSantis-Trump battle will be fun viewing.”