Jerry Springer

Jerry Springer revolutionized television. In the 1990s, "The Jerry Springer Show" showcased ordinary citizens with unusual stories on a daytime televised circus of which he dubbed himself "ringmaster." The product of Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany prior to World War II, Springer made his early career as a lawyer and politician, initially as a city councilman in Cincinnati, OH, before becoming mayor of the city. In the early 1980s, he switched career gears, becoming an Emmy-winning TV news anchor and eventual host of his own eponymous daytime talk show. By the mid-1990s, he refashioned the fairly sober, public affairs chat hour into an increasingly tabloid-inspired examination of arcane social "issues," notably involving antisocial behavior, prompting the show to be syndicated nationwide. The phenomenon prompted "Ringmaster" (1998), a film starring Springer essentially as himself. Now a cultural icon, he routinely lampooned himself and his on-show shtick in comedic cross-media appearances. In the 2000s, Springer hosted a progressive radio talk show and took hosting duties for other shows such as "America's Got Talent" (NBC, 2006- ). Though widely imitated, Springer's formula would remain the gold-standard of daytime tabloid talkers. Springer himself remained ever-self-effacing about his show's cultural imprint.