Brawl-Worthy Facts About Jerry Springer, The King Of Trash TV
Jerry Springer served up tabloid TV for a stunning 27 seasons bringing in almost 5,000 episodes. He craved publicity—even bad publicity—which there was no shortage of.
In spite of all the attention, Springer managed to keep his personal life under wraps, but his history is more shocking than people realize.
1. His Family Had A Dark History
Jerry Springer’s parents were German Jews with a harrowing history. During WWII, Margot Kallmann and Richard Springer made a dramatic escape from their home country. After arriving in London, Margot quickly became pregnant.
Likely, they thought they’d left their troubles behind in Poland but that wasn’t so.
It was the time of the blitz, and life on the streets of London was not safe—not with German planes circling above.
2. He Had A Stressful Origin Story
Springer’s mother was more than a little pregnant when she went down to seek safety in Highgate Station. The Germans were dropping explosives from airplanes and Margot and her husband wanted to get out of the line of fire. As soon as they got down to the underground, they were stuck. The only problem was this—it was time to give birth to baby Jerry Springer.
3. One Decision Changed Everything
Margot gave birth to Jerry right in Highgate Station, and miraculously, he arrived healthy. The proud parents took him back to their East Finchley home and took stock of their lives.
They had narrowly escaped the Germans back in Poland, and now they were still running scared in the UK. Something had to give.
They made a decision then and there: They were going to America. And this decision altered the course of Jerry Springer's life forever.
4. He Was Impressed
The small Springer family arrived in the US and quickly settled in Queens, New York. Springer went to Forest Hills High School and then to University in Louisiana where he studied political science.
One day while watching TV, Springer saw a man that impressed him.
That man was John F Kennedy who was then still a senator. His admiration for the senator helped shaped a career that was shockingly far from the tabloid talk show he'd one day be famous for.
