Jerry Springer’s death is, on a personal level, a real one-two gut-punch.
Jerry died Thursday at 79, just as he was settling into a life of happy semi-retirement, more interested in talking about his grandson Richard — a talented baseball player and the light of Jerry’s life — than anything to do with television or his nearly 30-year run as the bemused host of “The Jerry Springer Show.”
That’s who Jerry was — the British-born son of Holocaust survivors and a mensch who never took his on-camera persona very seriously.
If he did, I would have been worried: Jerry was trained as a lawyer and was far more interested in social issues and politics (he was the mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978).
And don’t forget his sense of humor, which came through in every one of my conversations with him.
Heck, I once saw Jerry do a comedic stage version of “The Price Is Right” in Atlantic City and he had ’em rolling in the aisles.
He was in on the joke and the antics of his daytime guests. He knew which side his bread was buttered on when it came to making a living and giving the national TV audience what it wanted — escapist entertainment wrapped up in a syndicated talk show with a circus-type atmosphere with its bespectacled host as “The Ringmaster” of his daytime domain.
He loved it, but realized it was his daytime job, and never let it hold him back from exploring other arenas, including a well-received podcast.
“In a sense, I’ve become an adjective in the English language when people say ‘I’m having a Jerry Springer moment,’ or when they say ‘Don’t go Jerry Springer on me now.’ Everyone knows instantly what they’re talking about,” he once told me.
“It’s embarrassing to say ‘my legacy.’ It’s not like, 50 years from now, people are going to be talking about, ‘Boy, thank God we had Jerry Springer.’ “
I knew Jerry for 30 years, dating back to my early days covering the TV beat, and he was always honest, reflective and unflinching when discussing “The Jerry Springer Show” and the impact (good and bad) that it had on our culture.
He knew the score.
He had his legions of fans, of course, but also vociferous critics who slammed him for dumbing-down daytime entertainment with those daily fights on “The Jerry Springer Show,” which helped launch the career of “Springer” security guard and ex-Marine Steve Wilkos, now hosting “Steve Wilkos.”
Jerry not only acknowledged the criticism but understood it — just as he understood his iconic show was purely WTF?! entertainment beloved by millions of fans who couldn’t wait to see the next episode.
To whit: One of his biggest fans was comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who once visited “The Jerry Springer Show” because he loved it, and Jerry, that much. ‘Nuf said.
Here’s the takeaway: When you saw Jerry on your TV screen, even during his three-season run as “Judge Jerry,” you only saw his “TV alter ego,” which he complemented with his humor and the occasional arched eyebrow, just to let you know he was in on the weirdness … and that it was all OK.
He never took himself or his reputation very seriously, and that’s how I will remember him: A television icon, yes, but also an affable, highly intelligent, opinionated, multi-layered man who loved to work, loved his family and loved to tell a good story with a twinkle in his eye.
“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,” said Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesperson for the family.
“He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on.”
His death is our loss.
The entertainment world was lucky to have “The Ringmaster” orchestrating his magic under its Big Top for as long as he did.
