Jerry Springer Had A Controversial Political Career Before His Talk Show
If you stayed home from work or school and flipped through the channels on television, you were bound to land on the iconic chants shouting, "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" Jerry Springer has been cemented in daytime television history as the talk show host publicizing the wild stories of people all over the United States. But, long before he was a famous talk show host, Springer was actually heavily involved in politics.
Springer had been eyeing a political career ever since he attended Tulane University, where he graduated with a political science degree, per Britannica. After obtaining a law degree in 1968, he delved into politics by working on the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy. But, Springer wanted to pursue his own career in government. In 1970, the famed talk show host ran for Cincinnati city council and won.
As years passed, the television host encouraged people to get involved in government, per The Lantern. When talking with Ohio State University students, he shared, "Our burden, our responsibility is to make sure that government exists to provide services to protect people — not just from physical violence but from economic violence, from social violence." And although Springer spoke about protecting people, his Cincinnati city council run actually ended up hurting those he was there to protect due to a shocking controversy.
Jerry Springer paid sex workers during city council run
When Jerry Springer won his city council bid in 1970, he thought his political career was just beginning. But, little did he know that it would end as quickly as it came due to his involvement in a scandal.
According to The Enquirer, four years into Springer holding the council position, reporter Frank Weikel wrote that a "Cincinnati politico" was involved in sex work. Weikel never mentioned the talk show host by name, but Springer's guilt was evident when he resigned that day. Although, he cited his resignation for very different reasons, saying it was due to "very personal family considerations." The next day, Springer held a press conference about his abrupt resignation, and it was then that he implied his involvement with the sex work scandal. He said, "When I resigned yesterday, I did so because I believed then as I believe now that there are some problems which are better faced as a private citizen."
Springer eventually confessed to participating in the scandalous act while on trial in Kentucky, per WCPO Cincinnati. The talk show host admitted to going to a "health club" twice where he paid for women to have sexual relations with him. Springer said, "It was in exchange for an act of prostitution ... To the best of my knowledge, no club in Cincinnati which I visited was engaged in any improper or illegal activities." While it seemed this would end his career, that did not end up happening.
Jerry Springer made a remarkable comeback to politics
We have seen with Donald Trump that scandals don't always put a stop to a political career. The same can be said about Jerry Springer. After his controversial end to his Cincinnati council run, the talk show host made one of the most remarkable comebacks into politics.
According to The Enquirer, Springer won back his seat on the council just a year after the sex work scandal. The talk show host reportedly talked about the controversial issue directly, and thus the public felt he was sincere enough to earn his seat back. His political career only continued from there, and he was elected mayor for a year in 1977. In 1982, Springer took it even further and ran for governor of Ohio. Using the same strategy to win his council seat back, he addressed his past blunders in his television advertisements.
The New York Times reported the advertisement said, "Nine years ago I spent time with a woman I shouldn't have. And I paid her with a check. I wish I hadn't done that. And the truth is, I wish no one would ever know." Springer was trying to show he was unafraid to do or say anything for the betterment of the public. Unfortunately for the talk show host, this strategy did not work, and he lost the race. Springer still ended up being successful in another avenue of business as he launched the "Jerry Springer" show in 1992.