The Scandal That Helped Shape Jerry Springer’s Career

Jerry Springer died at his residence in Chicago, Illinois, on April 27, 2023, after battling pancreatic cancer. Springer had a successful TV career, but not without its ups and downs. He was particularly known for The Jerry Springer Show, which ran for 27 seasons from 1991 to 2018.

Before focusing on Television, Springer served on the Cincinnati city council and was eventually elected mayor of the city. The American broadcaster had a particular experience during the course of his political and TV career that gave him something to prove.

Springer was accused of ‘paying for sex’

In the mid-‘70s, some reports alleged that Springer had paid for sex at a brothel using checks. Without mentioning his name, an Enquirer article stated that a “well-known Cincinnati political family” was under investigation in Ohio and Kentucky, to which Springer owned up.

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Springer, who was 30 years old at the time, resigned from his city council position due to the news. “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 said at the time.

However, the politician-turned-broadcaster was quite disappointed that the council voted to accept his resignation. “I’m not going to beg. What I did was wrong, but I still have a certain amount of pride and self-respect left,” Springer said in 1977. “I committed a serious indiscretion to my way of thinking, and I guess I must pay for it now dearly.”

Springer was driven to rise above the label

Springer revealed that he paid for sex twice with $50 and $25 checks during the trial of the men who ran the suspicious “health club” where he had met the women he got intimate with. Although he did not face charges and, in fact, got reelected to his city council seat and ran for Mayor, he remained honest about what he had done.

“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. But in the rough world of politics, opponents are not about to let personal embarrassments lay to rest,” Springer said in the commercial for his campaign years later.

Springer won the seat of Mayor and went on to achieve more feats, including The Jerry Springer Show. “Be it as an anchor, a mayor, or a commentator— I was determined to have you know that I was more than a check and a hooker on a one-night stand,” Springer had said of his determination.