A Look Back at Jerry Springer's Life in Photos

Mar. 15, 2025

Jerry Springer.Photo: Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty

Born in London on Feb. 13, 1944, Springer and his family moved to the United States in 1949. He would later venture into law, thensubsequently politics, becoming the mayor of Cincinnati in 1977. He ran for governor of Ohio in 1982 and turned to broadcasting after losing the campaign. The rest is history.

TheJerry Springer Showpremiered on Sept. 30, 1991, and would become an instant success, rivaling the likes ofThe Oprah Winfrey ShowandThe Phil Donahue Show.Now, Netflix is taking viewers behind the scenes of the controversial show with a new docuseries titledFights, Camera, Action.

As the series, which premieres on Jan. 7, peels back the curtain to “expose [the show’s] biggest scandals, both on- and off-camera,” look back at Jerry Springer’s life in photos.

01of 10Jerry Springer’s Early YearsGetty ImagesJerry Springerwas born in London on Feb. 13, 1944, the son of Richard and Margot, who fled Nazi Germany in 1939. At 5 years old, his parents moved the family (which includes older sister Evelyn) to the U.S., where Springer attended high school in Queens, New York, before moving on to Tulane University in New Orleans and law school at Northwestern.

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Jerry Springer’s Early Years

Getty Images

Jerry Springerwas born in London on Feb. 13, 1944, the son of Richard and Margot, who fled Nazi Germany in 1939. At 5 years old, his parents moved the family (which includes older sister Evelyn) to the U.S., where Springer attended high school in Queens, New York, before moving on to Tulane University in New Orleans and law school at Northwestern.

02of 10Jerry Springer’s Political Career and Personal LifeGetty ImagesIn 1969, Springer moved to Cincinnati, where he joined a law firm andtook an interest in politics.“I was ticked off about the war,” he told PEOPLE in a 1994 interview. After spending some time with the Army at Fort Knox, he joined the city council in 1971 and later became vice-mayor.In 1973, Springer wed Micki Velten, whom he’d met on a blind date years prior.However, Springer’s personal and professional lives took a tumble in 1974 when it was discovered he’d solicited prostitutes on more than one occasion.“I realized that I couldn’t live my life with that hanging over my head, so I told my wife and my family, and then I told her family,” he recounted to PEOPLE. He resigned from his political work, coming clean in a press conference.In 1976, he and Velten welcomedtheir only child, daughter Katie. She was born legally blind, deaf in one ear and without nasal passages.“That’s the end of the sad story,” Springer told PEOPLE in 1994. “The happy story is that she is a bright, exceptional kid who has really overcome a lot."‘‘She’s pretty much of a ham,’’ he added of Katie. ‘‘She probably gets that from me.‘‘In 1977, despite his past indiscretions, Springer was elected mayor of Cincinnati at just 33 years old. He served for four years, after which he ran for governor; after losing, he joined Cincinnati’s WLWT as a commentator, bringing the show to No. 1 in the ratings.

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Jerry Springer’s Political Career and Personal Life

In 1969, Springer moved to Cincinnati, where he joined a law firm andtook an interest in politics.“I was ticked off about the war,” he told PEOPLE in a 1994 interview. After spending some time with the Army at Fort Knox, he joined the city council in 1971 and later became vice-mayor.

In 1973, Springer wed Micki Velten, whom he’d met on a blind date years prior.

However, Springer’s personal and professional lives took a tumble in 1974 when it was discovered he’d solicited prostitutes on more than one occasion.

“I realized that I couldn’t live my life with that hanging over my head, so I told my wife and my family, and then I told her family,” he recounted to PEOPLE. He resigned from his political work, coming clean in a press conference.

In 1976, he and Velten welcomedtheir only child, daughter Katie. She was born legally blind, deaf in one ear and without nasal passages.

“That’s the end of the sad story,” Springer told PEOPLE in 1994. “The happy story is that she is a bright, exceptional kid who has really overcome a lot.”

‘‘She’s pretty much of a ham,’’ he added of Katie. ‘‘She probably gets that from me.’’

In 1977, despite his past indiscretions, Springer was elected mayor of Cincinnati at just 33 years old. He served for four years, after which he ran for governor; after losing, he joined Cincinnati’s WLWT as a commentator, bringing the show to No. 1 in the ratings.

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Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty

According to a 1994 PEOPLE profile, Winfrey offered to show Springer around town — and he asked for her autograph. “This is scary,” he shared at the time of going up against daytime talk titans like Winfrey, Phil Donahue and Jenny Jones, among others. “I’m competing against some pretty major people. I don’t want to screw up.”

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He didn’t. The show quickly rose in the ratings — often rivaling Winfrey — thanks to its off-color brand of content and on-screen fights.

“Sometimes we have a show, and a hockey game breaks out,” Springer joked to PEOPLE in 1995. “I’ve seen more fights than Ali.”

To critics who called the show trashy or even accused it of being fake, he said, “It’s entertainment … lighten up.”

The show made a celebrity out of bodyguard Steve Wilkos, continued to lead the daytime charge and even found itself the subject of some serious situations, like when a guest was murdered hours after her episode aired in 2000 (her ex-husbandwas later arrested, charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison).

In 2018, after around 4,000 episodes,the show was quietly canceled.

05of 10Jerry Springer on ‘Judge Jerry’NBCIn 2019, Springer moved on to his next project,Judge Jerry,which ran for 200 episodes before ending in 2022.“I love doing it,“he told PEOPLE in 2019. “It’s the first grown-up job I’ve had in 30 years.” He even revealed that his brother-in-law created his gavel from a tree he chopped down on his property. “It’s beautiful,” said Springer.

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Jerry Springer on ‘Judge Jerry’

NBC

In 2019, Springer moved on to his next project,Judge Jerry,which ran for 200 episodes before ending in 2022.

“I love doing it,“he told PEOPLE in 2019. “It’s the first grown-up job I’ve had in 30 years.” He even revealed that his brother-in-law created his gavel from a tree he chopped down on his property. “It’s beautiful,” said Springer.

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Jerry Springer in Pop Culture

Everett Collection

07of 10Jerry Springer on ‘Dancing with the Stars’Adam Larkey/Disney General Entertainment Content via GettyIn 2006, Springer took a spin in the ballroom on season 3 ofDancing with the Stars,coming in fifth place with partner Kym Johnson.In a sweet moment, Springer revealed that he went on the show in part to learn the waltz for his daughter’s wedding, calling it, “my king-of-the-world moment.” He added to PEOPLE after that particular episode, “Tonight, I danced for an audience of one.”

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Jerry Springer on ‘Dancing with the Stars’

Adam Larkey/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

In 2006, Springer took a spin in the ballroom on season 3 ofDancing with the Stars,coming in fifth place with partner Kym Johnson.

In a sweet moment, Springer revealed that he went on the show in part to learn the waltz for his daughter’s wedding, calling it, “my king-of-the-world moment.” He added to PEOPLE after that particular episode, “Tonight, I danced for an audience of one.”

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Jerry Springer on ‘America’s Got Talent’

Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

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Jerry Springer’s Other Projects

New Line/courtesy Everett Collection

Springer seemingly never stopped moving:he considered Senate runsin 2000 and 2004, and even a run for governor of Ohio in 2018, though never got serious about any.

He hit BroadwayinChicagofor a brief run as Billy Flynn in 2007.

“It occurred to me that the themes of country music are consistent with the talk show themes: broken relationships, divorce, cheating, who slept with whose dog,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “Basically, country is a talk show put to music.”

10of 10Jerry Springer on ‘The Masked Singer’FOX via GettyIn 2022, Springer appeared on season 8 ofThe Masked Singeras the Beetle, going home on episode five.“I thought my grandson would get a kick out of this,“he told EWof joining. “I couldn’t think of a reason not to do it. It was just fun.“On April 27, 2023, Springer died of pancreatic cancer at his home outside of Chicago.He was 79 years old.

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Jerry Springer on ‘The Masked Singer’

FOX via Getty

In 2022, Springer appeared on season 8 ofThe Masked Singeras the Beetle, going home on episode five.

“I thought my grandson would get a kick out of this,“he told EWof joining. “I couldn’t think of a reason not to do it. It was just fun.”

On April 27, 2023, Springer died of pancreatic cancer at his home outside of Chicago.He was 79 years old.

source: people.com