As his iconic show halts production, Jerry Springer prepares for new adventures!
HIS REIGN ON DAYTIME TV MAY BE OVER, BUT THE POPULAR TALK SHOW HOST IS EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE
“I am the luckiest person alive. I enjoy an active life, so why stop?”
— Jerry
When it was announced in June that The Jerry Springer Show was halting production after 27 years and more than 4,000 episodes, many fans assumed its popular 74-year-old host was ready to kick back in a rocking chair. Think again. “There is no reason for me to slow down,” Jerry insists to Closer of his refusal to retire, joking, “I can’t play golf everyday. I don’t want to play golf every day!”
EXPLORING HIS OPTIONS
Instead, he’s ready to tee off on several other adventures. “Jerry may actually be busier in the future than he ever was while he was doing the show,” a friend tells Closer. “He’s a highly motivated and creative person. He’s been writing more lately, and he wants to do a one-man show that he can perform all over the country.”
The former mayor of Cincinnati also plans to step up his involvement in the political arena. “I’m still very active,” Jerry reveals. “I devote at least one day a week to political things — raising money, giving speeches, helping to organize campaigns. I just don’t run for office myself.”
That gives him the freedom to focus on his other true love: his family, which includes his wife of 45 years, Micki, daughter Katie, 42, and grandson, Richard, 9. “As much as he’ll miss his show,” the friend says, “he has more time to spend with them now. Maybe they’ll even take a trip around the world. This is really a good time for Jerry to recharge his batteries and see what the next act in his life will be.”
Future Jerry Springer Show one-offs have even been discussed, and Jerry is game for doing them, the friend says, adding, “His career as an entertainer is not over yet. Not by a long shot.” — Ron Kelly, with reporting
by Ilyssa Panitz