For a guy who has, in his own words, “no talent,” Jerry Springer seems to be doing just fine. The long-running Chicago-based trash fest that bears his name shows no sign of stopping. He has his own weekly British variety show and he has replaced Regis Philbin as the host of “America’s Got Talent,” which airs Tuesdays on NBC.
Springer said he may have softened his trashy image after his heart-tugging appearance on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” which he did to learn to dance for his daughter’s wedding. “Because ‘Dancing With the Stars’ worked out well, the networks probably thought, ‘Gee, he does sell well to Middle America,’
” Springer told us. “That’s the conventional wisdom.”
At 63, Springer is looking ahead to the eventual end of “The Jerry Springer Show,” which has plumbed our dysfunctions since 1991. But sorry, Springer bashers: It won’t be any time soon.
“We’re going to keep going,” Springer told us. “It’s fun, it’s not difficult to do, and people seem to like it. Maybe another five years. Certainly not more than 10 years. I’m already 63, so at some point I’ll stop.”
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[email protected] Terry Armour co-hosts “The Stan and Terry Show” weekdays at 11 a.m. on WCKG-FM 105.9. Personals was compiled by Alan Leo from Tribune news services and staff reports.