Legendary TV judge Jerry Springer dies aged 79

Talk show host Jerry Springer has died aged 79, his family have said.

In a statement, family spokesperson Jene Galvin said: “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.

“He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humour will live on.”

Prior to his hugely successful TV career, Springer had been Mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978.

In 1982, Springer ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Ohio, but came in third and decided to put his political career on hold.

This was a good move for Springer, and for the networks he would go on to work for because he became a ratings smash.

His controversial The Jerry Springer Show ran from 1991 to 2018 and pulled in big audiences with its wild guests and over-the-top content.

Over that nearly twenty-year period, Springer did over 5,000 shows, though many left viewers far from impressed.

The show was known for its on-stage fights, profanity, nudity and questionable themes like incest and adultery.

Since the end of the show, the TV judge expressed his regret at how the show displayed those themes.

Speaking on David Yontef's Behind the Velvet Rope podcast in 2022, Springer said: "I just apologise. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture.

"I just hope hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected, and that kind of worries me."

On that same podcast, Springer also spoke about his time as the mayor of Cincinnati.

"After being mayor, I was offered the job to anchor the news for the NBCaffiliate in Cincinnati, and I did that for 10 years," he said.

The judge added that it "was was kind of a rational transition" to go from '"from politics to reporting to news to anchoring."

Springer's last appearance on TV on the most recent season of The Masked Singer, where he performed as The Beetle.

Springer is survived by his daughter Katie and sister Evelyn.