The Jerry Springer Show has been entertaining America for a quarter century now, and to help celebrate, ET sat down with the ringleader himself.
The Jerry Springer Show has been entertaining America for almost a quarter of a century now, and to help celebrate, ET sat down with the ringleader himself.
The program is considered controversial for its outrageous topics and occasional fistfights, but Jerry explained to ET that it takes more than just shocking content to hold viewers' attention for nearly 25 years.
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"I think, honestly, it's not the subject matter. It's the personality of the guests," Jerry said. "So if you've got a guest that is just over the top, that really works."
Here are the 9 most bizarre guests to hit The Jerry Springer Show stage:
1. Heidi, the Adult Baby
A grown man, who was introduced as Heidi, discussed what it was like going through life dressed in a bonnet and diaper.
2. David, the Kung-Fu Hillbilly
David shoots homemade kung-fu videos, but the real story is that he pimps out his brother Wayne's girlfriend as a hooker and even makes Wayne pay her for sex.
3. Sandra, the Woman Who Cut Off Her Legs
In this episode, a transsexual woman named Sandra claims that she's happy she cut off her own legs with a power saw. She admitted to seeing two psychiatrists.
4. Earl, the Man Who Cut Off His Penis
The entire audience squirmed a little bit when Jerry held up a pair of gardening shears that were identical to the ones Earl said he used to cut off his own penis.
5. Annabel, The Woman Who Slept With 70 Men in 10 Hours
The USC student and adult film actress was out to set the world record for most sex partners in a 24-hour period. She claimed that she had sex with 70 men, some of them multiple times, within 10 hours. Her story was later made into a documentary called Annabel.
6. The Mole People
After long being written off as an urban legend, a "mole person" named Bernard took Jerry on a tour of his living quarters located in a series of tunnels beneath the New York City train system.
7. Heather, the Woman Who Got Pregnant By Her Brother
After reconnecting with her estranged father, Heather fell in love with her half-brother, David, and was subsequently impregnated by him. Her love proved to be short-lived, as she'd already found a new man by the time she appeared on the show -- David's older brother George.
8. Charlie, the Woman Whose Husband Left Her for His Sister
The deaf stripper who, along with her husband, was evicted from her home was devastated to find out that her husband moved in with his sister and sleeping with her.
9. Mark, the Guy Who Married a Horse
Even Jerry was shocked by this one! In the episode, a man named Mark admits to having sex with a horse and makes out with the equine on the stage. "You'll be happy to know I came out against that," Jerry told ET.