Jerry Springer, from politician to influential US talkshow host

Jerry Springer, the one-time US mayor whose show unleashed chaos on TV screens, has died at the age of 79. Picture: PA

Jerry Springer, the one-time mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional guests willing to bare all — sometimes literally — as they brawled and hurled obscenities before a raucous audience, died on Thursday at 79.

At its peak, The Jerry Springer Show was a ratings powerhouse and a US cultural pariah, synonymous with lurid drama. Known for chair-throwing and bleep-filled arguments, the daytime talk show was a favourite American guilty pleasure over its 27-year run, at one point topping Oprah Winfrey’s show.