What viral ‘70lb’ baby looks like now 29-years after appearing on Jerry Springer show
29 years ago, NBC's much-loved The Jerry Springer Show saw a little tot strut onto its set, leaving him to feel like a 'circus act' later in life.
It was Zach Strenkert, who had been known as the '70 pound baby' after his parents monetised his apt nickname.
Once upon a time, nobody knew who he was, but thanks to the emergence of social media, clips of Strenkert from his time on the Springer Show began to become viral.
But nobody could have realised just what made Strenkert so big, and perhaps it would have been a little more empathetic had the truth been revealed.
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While it would be easy to blame over-feeding on the kid's weight issue, it was actually because Strenkert was born with a rare genetic condition called Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS).
SGBS saw the baby grow an inch every two weeks, and pile on 2.5lb in the same timeframe, leaving him at 70lbs at 17 months old.
What with Netflix documentary Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera Action being released, people are getting an insight into just how crazy the TV show was.
Growing up in Port Jervis, New York, Zack said he 'felt like a circus act' after appearing on other shows like Oprah and Inside Edition.
"They presented me as different, which only separated me further from everyone else," he told The Mirror. "I was known as the kid that was on TV.
"Nowadays, people ask me what it was like. They assume my mom was chasing fame or money, but that wasn’t the case. We just wanted help with geneticists, which wasn’t easy to come by with our insurance."
Zach said his family wanted to raise awareness on what it was like to live with SGBS, adding: "We didn’t really get a lot of take-home pay after all the affairs were done. It was strictly to make sure that her kid was okay."
Speaking about the documentary, Zach admitted: "It's just a spin on what’s already out there. It didn’t reveal anything new. It’s the same content, just packaged with bells and whistles."
Zach, who previously weighed 485lbs, is now focusing on his physical health and fitness.
Jerry Springer hosted The Jerry Springer Show for 27 years, between 1991 and 2018.
The TV presenter passed away at his home in Chicago in 2023.
"Jerry’s ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word." said family spokesperson, Jene Galvin, at the time, who also confirmed he'd died from pancreatic cancer.
"He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humour will live on."
Dan Seddon