The death of controversial talk show host Jerry Springer at age 79 has prompted a look back at the most shocking moments from his 27-year career. Springer's show became known for paternity tests, bleeped swearing, and security guards breaking up fights, with nearly every one of its 4,000 episodes considered explosive.
One 2011 episode featured a woman whose sister revealed she had slept with her boyfriend after a night at the club, leading to slapping and hair-pulling. The boyfriend also got slapped when he tried to apologise. Another memorable moment involved a Missouri farmer named Mark who introduced his wife—a horse named Pixel—and described their relationship as loving and faithful, leaving Springer feeling physically ill on air.
Springer often hosted racists and Ku Klux Klan members, a subject personal to him as the son of Jewish-German refugees. In 1995, he told an antisemitic priest, 'I don't hate you, I feel sorry for you,' and when the priest denied the Holocaust, Springer told him to 'shut your face,' nearly leading to a fight.
In 1995, Springer spoke to porn actor Annabel Chong about her role in the 'world's biggest gangbang.' Despite slut-shaming questions, Chong defended her decision as empowering. She later worked in software development. Another guest, a Montana woman, fell in love with a man who walked 1,200 miles to be with her; after they broke up, she had a child with his father and tried to reunite with the son on Springer's show, but he declined.
A rare happy ending came for baby Zack Strenkert, who appeared on the show in 1996 due to his extreme size. Diagnosed with Simpson Golabi Behmel Syndrome, his parents said they wouldn't change him. He returned as an adult, happy and working as a competitive gamer.
