Former lawyer Mr. Springer served as mayor of Cincinnati in the late 1970s. The series premiered in 1991 and ran for 27 seasons and nearly 5,000 episodes, exerting an irresistible grip on millions of Americans despite critics dismissing it as exploitative and sensational.
Los Angeles Times television critic Howard Rosenberg wrote in 1997, “Springer wears his sleaze and slim.
The episodes had titles such as “Threesomes with Grandma” and “I Married a Horse”, which some TV stations aired in 1998 due to discussions of brutality and interracial relationships. In another episode, “Klanfrontation!”, Jewish Defense League president Irv Rubin fights white-robed Ku Klux Klan members.
Mr. One of Springer’s guests, Nancy Campbell-Panitz, said in 2000 that Mr. Springer was murdered by her ex-husband shortly after appearing on the show, where she confronted her ex and his second wife in an episode about love triangles. According to trial records released as part of the lawsuit, the show’s producers wanted the trio to fight on stage.
Mr. Springer distanced himself from the series at times. “I will never watch my show,” he told Reuters in 2000. “I’m not interested in it; it’s not directed at me. It’s a stupid show. I don’t take it too seriously. But when people have an intellectual argument about this show, why do I think it’s the right thing to do, and why do I think it’s important to have shows like that on the air?” I am ready to answer.
Brian Murphy contributed to this report. A full obituary will be published soon.
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