History of Jerry Springer in Timeline
Gerald "Jerry" Springer was an American broadcaster, journalist, actor, lawyer, and politician, primarily known for hosting the tabloid talk show *Jerry Springer* from 1991 to 2018. The *Jerry Springer Show* became synonymous with the term "trash TV", capitalizing on sensationalism and outrageous guest stories. Despite criticism, the show was a major commercial success and a significant cultural phenomenon during the 1990s, establishing Springer as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
February 13, 1944: Gerald Norman Springer's Birth
On February 13, 1944, Gerald Norman Springer, later known as Jerry Springer, was born.
January 1949: Immigration to the United States
In January 1949, Jerry Springer's family immigrated to the United States.
1956: Watching the Democratic National Convention
In 1956, Jerry Springer, at age 12, watched the Democratic National Convention on television and was impressed by John F. Kennedy.
1965: Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University
In 1965, Jerry Springer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University, majoring in political science.
1968: Involved in Robert Kennedy's Campaign
In 1968, Jerry Springer became actively involved in politics by working for the campaign of Robert Kennedy.
1968: Juris Doctor from Northwestern University
In 1968, Jerry Springer earned a Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
1968: Political Campaign Advisor
In 1968, Jerry Springer worked as a political campaign advisor to Robert F. Kennedy.
1970: Run for U.S. House of Representatives
In 1970, Jerry Springer ran for the United States House of Representatives but was unsuccessful.
1971: Election to Cincinnati City Council
In 1971, Jerry Springer was elected to the Cincinnati City Council.
1973: Partnership in Law Firm
In 1973, Jerry Springer became a partner in the law firm of Grinker, Sudman & Springer.
April 29, 1974: Resignation from Cincinnati City Council
On April 29, 1974, Jerry Springer resigned from the Cincinnati City Council after admitting to soliciting a prostitute.
1975: Re-election to Cincinnati City Council
In 1975, Jerry Springer was re-elected to the Cincinnati City Council.
1976: Daughter Katie Was Born
In 1976, Jerry and Micki Springer's daughter, Katie, was born with health complications that required surgery.
1977: Mayor of Cincinnati
In 1977, Jerry Springer served as the 56th Mayor of Cincinnati.
1977: Re-election to Cincinnati City Council and Mayor
In 1977, Jerry Springer was re-elected to the Cincinnati City Council and chosen to serve as mayor for one year.
1978: End of Mayoral Term
In 1978, Jerry Springer's term as the 56th Mayor of Cincinnati ended.
1979: Re-election to Cincinnati City Council
In 1979, Jerry Springer was re-elected to the Cincinnati City Council.
1981: Stepping Down from City Council
In 1981, Jerry Springer stepped down from his seat on the Cincinnati City Council to focus on running for governor of Ohio.
1982: Ohio Gubernatorial Election
In 1982, Jerry Springer ran for governor of Ohio but failed to win the Democratic party's nomination.
1985: End of Law Firm Partnership
In 1985, Jerry Springer's partnership in the law firm of Grinker, Sudman & Springer ended.
September 30, 1991: Debut of Jerry Springer
On September 30, 1991, Jerry Springer debuted as a politically oriented talk show.
1991: The Jerry Springer Show Premiere
In 1991, Jerry Springer began hosting The Jerry Springer Show.
January 1993: Departure from WLWT
In January 1993, Jerry Springer left his position as commentator at WLWT.
1993: Contributions to Hamilton County Democratic Party
From 1993, Jerry Springer was the largest contributor to the Hamilton County Democratic Party.
1994: Revamping of the Jerry Springer Show
In early 1994, Jerry Springer and his new producer revamped the show's format to focus on tabloid sensationalism.
1995: Recorded the Album Dr. Talk
In 1995, Jerry Springer recorded the album Dr. Talk for Fiddle Fish Records, which mostly consisted of country music covers.
1996: Appeared on Roseanne and The X-Files
In 1996, Jerry Springer appeared on an episode of the ninth season of Roseanne and on The X-Files episode "The Post-Modern Prometheus".
1997: Hired as News Commentator for WMAQ-TV
In 1997, Jerry Springer was hired by WMAQ-TV in Chicago as a news commentator, which led to controversy and resignations of news anchors.
1997: Death of Ronnie Grinker
In 1997, Ronnie Grinker, a former NBA agent and partner in Springer's former law firm, died.
1998: Ratings Success of Jerry Springer Show
By 1998, The Jerry Springer Show was beating The Oprah Winfrey Show in many cities and reaching around 8 million viewers.
1998: Ringmaster Film and Autobiography
In 1998, Jerry Springer starred in the film Ringmaster, a talk show host based on himself, and released an autobiography also named Ringmaster.
1998: Voiced Himself on The Simpsons
In 1998, Jerry Springer voiced a cartoon version of himself in the "Starship Poopers" segment of The Simpsons Halloween episode, Treehouse of Horror IX. That same year, he appeared as himself on an episode of The Wayans Bros..
March 1999: Co-hosted This Morning
In March 1999, Jerry Springer temporarily co-hosted This Morning with Judy Finnigan.
September 1999: Pilot for Jerry Springer on Sunday
In September 1999, Jerry Springer made a pilot for a David Letterman-style talk show for ITV called Jerry Springer on Sunday.
1999: Appeared in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Austin Powers
In 1999, Jerry Springer appeared in the episode "Mrs. Kraft" of the third season of Sabrina the Teenage Witch with his talk show. That same year, he was in an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. He made a cameo appearance in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) as himself during an episode of his show featuring Dr. Evil and his estranged son Scott Evil.
May 2000: Campbell-Panitz Episode
In May 2000, Nancy Campbell-Panitz and her ex-husband appeared on an episode of the Jerry Springer show; she was later murdered by him.
May 2000: Broadcast of Jerry Springer on Sunday
In May 2000, a further four episodes of Jerry Springer on Sunday were commissioned to be broadcast.
June 2000: Springer
In June 2000, Five episodes of Jerry Springer on Sunday, were broadcast under the name Springer.
2000: Co-hosted This Morning Again
In 2000, Jerry Springer co-hosted This Morning again with Judy Finnigan.
2000: Considered Running for Senate
In 2000, Jerry Springer considered running for the United States Senate but backed down.
2000: Late Night with Jerry Springer Series
In 2000, two series of Late Night with Jerry Springer was made.
2001: Hosted Miss World Again
In 2001, Jerry Springer hosted Miss World again.
2001: Greed Host
In 2001, Jerry Springer hosted the UK version of Greed and was a stand-in host for The Wright Stuff.
July 10, 2002: Lawsuit Filed Against Springer
On July 10, 2002, the sons of Nancy Campbell-Panitz filed a lawsuit against Jerry Springer, claiming he created "a mood that led to murder".
July 2002: Brad Paisley Song Reached Number One
In July 2002, the song "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)" featuring Jerry Springer hit number one on the country charts.
January 23, 2004: Featured on This American Life
On January 23, 2004, Jerry Springer was featured in an episode of This American Life titled "Leaving the Fold".
2004: Considered Running for Senate Again
In 2004, Jerry Springer again considered running for the United States Senate but decided against it.
2004: Jerry Springer Played US President
In 2004, Jerry Springer played the role of the US president in the movie The Defender, which was directed by Dolph Lundgren.
January 17, 2005: Springer on the Radio Debut
On January 17, 2005, Jerry Springer began hosting Springer on the Radio, a liberal talk show on Cincinnati's WCKY-AM.
2005: Springer on the Radio
In 2005, Jerry Springer began hosting Springer on the Radio, a liberal talk show.
2005: UK Version of The Jerry Springer Show
In 2005, a UK version of The Jerry Springer Show aired on Britain's ITV network titled The Springer Show.
April 16, 2006: Guest Host for The Friday Night Project
On April 16, 2006, Jerry Springer was the guest host for the opening show for the third series of The Friday Night Project for Channel 4.
December 5, 2006: Final Springer on the Radio Show
On December 5, 2006, Jerry Springer hosted his final Springer on the Radio show.
2006: Donated to Park School
In 2006, Jerry Springer donated $230,000 to Park School in Evanston, where his daughter worked, to help construct "Katie's Corner".
2006: End of Springer on the Radio
In 2006, Jerry Springer's show Springer on the Radio ended.
2006: Competed on Dancing with the Stars
In late 2006, Jerry Springer was a contestant on the third season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with Kym Johnson. He wanted to learn the waltz for his daughter's wedding.
April 2007: Premiere of The Springer Hustle
In April 2007, the VH1 "celebreality" series The Springer Hustle, which looked at the production of The Jerry Springer Show, premiered.
2007: America's Got Talent Host
In 2007, Jerry Springer became the host of the television talent show America's Got Talent.
2007: Cameo on George Lopez Show
In 2007, Jerry Springer made a cameo appearance in several episodes of the George Lopez Show.
2007: Nothing But the Truth Host
In 2007, Jerry Springer signed on to host Nothing But the Truth, the UK version of Nada más que la verdad.
May 16, 2008: Delivered Commencement Address
On May 16, 2008, Jerry Springer delivered the Northwestern University School of Law commencement address.
August 27, 2008: Appeared on Who Do You Think You Are?
On August 27, 2008, Jerry Springer appeared in an episode of BBC One's television series Who Do You Think You Are?.
December 12, 2008: Guest Hosted Have I Got News for You
On December 12, 2008, Jerry Springer guest hosted Have I Got News for You.
2008: Hosted Miss Universe
In 2008, Jerry Springer hosted the Miss Universe competition.
2008: End of Hosting America's Got Talent
In 2008, Jerry Springer stopped hosting America's Got Talent.
April 2009: Appeared on the Chris Moyles Show
In April 2009, Jerry Springer appeared as a guest on the British game show Countdown and the Chris Moyles Show.
May 31, 2009: Appeared on The Andrew Marr Show
On May 31, 2009, Jerry Springer appeared as a guest on The Andrew Marr Show.
February 15, 2010: Guest Host on WWE Raw
On February 15, 2010, Jerry Springer was the guest host for WWE Raw at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
2010: Hosted Baggage
In 2010, Jerry Springer began hosting a dating game show called Baggage.
June 2012: Performed in Chicago
In June 2012, Jerry Springer appeared in Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre London as Billy Flynn for a short period of time, starring alongside Aoife Mulholland and Leigh Zimmerman.
July 2012: Hosted "Price is Right Live!"
In July 2012, Jerry Springer hosted "Price is Right Live!" in Vancouver's Boulevard Casino.
January 2014: Hosted Tabloid
From January 2014, Jerry Springer hosted the Investigation Discovery series Tabloid.
April 25, 2014: Hosted The Adam Carolla Show
On April 25, 2014, Jerry Springer hosted The Adam Carolla Show, filling in for Adam Carolla.
September 8, 2014: Guest Hosted WWE Raw
On September 8, 2014, Jerry Springer guest hosted the 22nd-season premiere episode of WWE Raw.
2014: Guest Panelist on 8 Out of 10 Cats
In 2014, Jerry Springer was a guest panelist on episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats.
April 2015: Debut of The Jerry Springer Podcast
In April 2015, Jerry Springer debuted The Jerry Springer Podcast on his website.
2015: Jerry Springer Presents WWE Too Hot For TV
In 2015, Jerry Springer hosted the show Jerry Springer Presents WWE Too Hot For TV on the WWE Network.
2015: The Jerry Springer Podcast
In 2015, Jerry Springer started The Jerry Springer Podcast.
2015: Guest Panelist on Through the Keyhole
In 2015, Jerry Springer was a guest panelist on episodes of Through the Keyhole.
2015: End of Hosting Baggage
In 2015, Jerry Springer's hosting of the show Baggage ended.
2016: Covered Presidential Election
In 2016, Jerry Springer covered the United States presidential election for ITV's Good Morning Britain.
2016: Guest Hosted The One Show
In 2016, Jerry Springer guest hosted The One Show with TV host Alex Jones.
2016: Support for Hillary Clinton
In 2016, Jerry Springer voiced support for Hillary Clinton in the United States presidential election.
2017: Guest Hosted The One Show Again
In 2017, Jerry Springer guest hosted The One Show with TV host Alex Jones.
2017: Guest Panelist on QI
In 2017, Jerry Springer was a guest panelist on QI ("Noodles").
July 26, 2018: Final Episode of Jerry Springer in Syndication
On July 26, 2018, Jerry Springer aired its final episode in syndication.
September 10, 2018: Reruns on The CW
On September 10, 2018, Jerry Springer began airing reruns on The CW.
2018: Considered Running for Ohio Governor
In 2018, Jerry Springer considered running in the Ohio gubernatorial election but decided against it.
2018: Guest Hosted The One Show
In 2018, Jerry Springer guest hosted The One Show with TV host Alex Jones.
2018: Hosted Price is Right Live! at Jack Cincinnati Casino
In 2018, Jerry Springer hosted the Price is Right Live! show at Jack Cincinnati Casino.
2018: End of Jerry Springer Show
In 2018, Jerry Springer stopped hosting The Jerry Springer Show.
September 9, 2019: Debut of Judge Jerry
On September 9, 2019, Jerry Springer debuted a new courtroom show, Judge Jerry.
2019: Judge Jerry
In 2019, Jerry Springer began hosting the television courtroom show Judge Jerry.
March 9, 2022: Cancellation of Judge Jerry
On March 9, 2022, the series Judge Jerry was canceled after three seasons.
August 22, 2022: Final Episode of Judge Jerry Aired
On August 22, 2022, the final episode of Judge Jerry aired.
2022: Competed on The Masked Singer
In 2022, Jerry Springer competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Beetle" and was eliminated on "Muppet Night".
2022: End of The Jerry Springer Podcast
In 2022, The Jerry Springer Podcast ended.
April 27, 2023: Jerry Springer's Death
On April 27, 2023, Jerry Springer died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 79.
2025: Netflix Released Documentary Series
In 2025, Netflix released the documentary series Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action.
