Did Jerry Springer’s talk show ruin pop culture?

Did Jerry Springer’s talk show ruin pop culture? The 78-year-old seems to think so. After 28 seasons of his now-defunct show, which ran from 1991 to 2018, Jerry recently sat down for an interview with David Yontef’s “Behind the Velvet Rope” podcast, where he shared his thoughts about the three-decade-long influence he’s had on pop culture.

For those who remember the self-titled program, nothing was ever off limits as far as topics were concerned, as Jerry tackled everything from incest relationships to married men sleeping with their wife’s best friend (who happened to be a man). Not to mention the chaos that would ensue when these guests were put on stage together, which usually resulted in physical fights, verbal abuse, while the studio audience cheered on.

Asked whether he would consider himself the “granddaddy of reality TV,” Jerry responded, “No, I just apologize. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture. I just hope hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected, and that kind of worries me.” Despite his successful TV career, Jerry says he was “just a schlub” who got lucky because working in entertainment was never an interest of his prior to making it big.