Street Interviews: Reactions to the death of Jerry Springer

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Columnist|May 1, 2023

Jerry Springer, the legendary yet unconventional talk-show host famous for The Jerry Springer Show, passed away on April 27 of pancreatic cancer. He was 79.

Famous for its wild reveals and the often heated arguments between show participants, the Jerry Springer Show dived into the dramatic secrets of quarreling families and partners.

Springer was also the mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978. Of course, the appropriateness of such a personality in politics – beloved or not – may be questionable.

While NIU students remain divided on Springer’s commercial and political legacy, they share a grief for the late host and his surviving family.

Bekah Gonzalez

Have you heard of Jerry Springer?
Answer : “Not really, like I know of him, but not much.

Would you watch his show?

Answer : “Yeah, I love all that kind of stuff. I watch Bad Girls Club and the Real Housewives kind of shows. I just think they’re funny.”

What is your opinion on Jerry Springer being in politics?

Answer : “I feel like kind of anyone gets into politics these days. So like, I don’t really see why there would be much of a disagreement with that kind of overload.”

What is your reaction to his recent passing?

Answer : “I think that’s so sad. Like, I don’t know, cancer just kind of plagues everything. I’m in Kesem which is the national non-profit for supporting children whose parents have had cancer. So we definitely see that impacting our kids. I also work in the medical field so I can see how cancer impacts from, like, I test people’s blood and stuff like that.”

Allen Lenhart, a sophomore manufacturing engineering technology major, sitting in the basement of the founders memorial library. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Whitney Vanman

Have you heard of Jerry Springer?
Answer : “Is that one where it’s like: ‘You are not the father’?”

Would you watch his show?
Answer : “Yeah, I’ve watched – I feel like there’s also spin-off shows of that also. So like I’ve watched shows like that, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it, like Jerry Springer clips, but I’ve never watched it while it was on TV. You know, you go on your YouTube channels, it’s like: ‘Oh these are the top ten best Jerry Springer moments,’ and it’s super dramatic. People are running away from the cameras in the back.”

What is your opinion on Jerry Springer being in politics?

Answer : “I feel like I don’t really have an opinion on it. Honestly, I just, yeah I really don’t know. I feel like sometimes not having a background in politics can be a good thing because it kind of gives you a more of an outsider kind of perspective. So, I would say it’s not bad but not good also.”

What is your reaction to his recent passing?

Answer : “What? He passed away? When? What? I did not know that! That’s so sad!”

Anything important to add?

Answer : “RIP Jerry Springer. I don’t know much about pancreatic cancer. I don’t know if there’s preventative measures you can take, but everyone go get their pancreas checked.”

Sophie Christofferson

Have you heard of Jerry Springer?

Answer : “Actually, I haven’t really heard of him. So my friend actually texted me and they were like: ‘Oh my god. I can’t believe Jerry Springer died.’ And I was like: ‘Who is that?’ And they were like: ‘Oh he had this big talk show.’ They told me he was kind of messy. So, that’s all I really know.”

Would you watch his show?
Answer : “I mean, maybe. They seemed really into it, so, sounds interesting.”

What is your opinion on Jerry Springer being in politics?

Answer : “I don’t know. I kind of, I mean, I guess do what you want to do. But at the same time, I just think that he’s running because he has that fame and that background. Not really for any other reason. So I don’t really know if it’s for the right things.

What is your reaction to his recent passing?

Answer : “I don’t really have a statement, I didn’t really know about the guy, but you know, that is sad. Rest in peace.”

Anthony Harris

Have you heard of Jerry Springer?
Answer : “I believe I’ve heard of him, I’m not too informed-based on him.”

Would you watch his show?

Answer : “No, I feel like personal manners like that shouldn’t be like public display for entertainment. I feel like that’s more of an intimate, closed-doors kind of thing that you should take care of with your partner, and you know, come to a conclusion about.

What is your opinion on Jerry Springer being in politics?

Answer : “That’s kind of a little bit of a deeper question. Well, my only concern would be, is he able to, and I hate to say like – multi-personality, but is he able to not necessarily bring that talk-show host kind of that energy, with the couples and everything, over to his political work? And if he’s able to separate those then okay, I can understand that, do your job as, you know, being a politician. But I can definitely understand if people were to look at that and then see his other work, they’d kind of question some of his things. So, it doesn’t necessarily make his image for politics great. But at the end of the day, it comes down to doing the work and if he’s able to do the work and not, you know, cross associate them, then if there’s no negative backlash from it, then in my opinion, then I guess it’s okay. But as soon as it starts to merge, and you start to fall off and things start to go negative because of it, then I say no. It’s a no-go anymore.”

What is your reaction to his recent passing?

Answer : “Well, I hope that his family is doing well with him passing, and I hope that he left, you know having been the show – maybe not that but in other aspects of his life, I hope that he left a more positive world from him being in it. I’ll say that.”

Anything important to add?

Answer : “I think that’s about it, and I hope anybody else hearing this has a good rest of their day.”

About the Contributors

Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Columnist

Lucy Atkinson is a junior from Anchorage, Alaska, double majoring in journalism and earth, atmosphere and environment with an emphasis in earth and planetary science. She first joined the Northern Star in the fall of 2022 and previously served as the opinion editor. In her free time, Lucy enjoys reading, going for runs, playing piano and collecting notes on Illinois’s beautiful flora and fauna.

Columnists