You know Jerry Springer as host of the long-running “Jerry Springer Show.” You may know him from his role on “Dancing With the Stars” or “America’s Got Talent” or even from his days as Cincinnati mayor. And now, you can see him hosting the new dating show “Baggage” in which three contestants attempt to wow a perspective date as they reveal personal “baggage.”

But despite his public persona, there are some things you might not know about Springer, who spends much of his off-time camera on Bird Key and spoke March 3 to the residents of nearby St. Armands Key. Here are five things you didn’t know about Springer:

1. Name dropping: His given name is Gerald Norman Springer, but he’ll always be “Jer-ry, Jer-ry, Jer-ry.” When he goes out in public, people who recognize him chant his name the way that his audience does on “The Jerry Springer Show.” “The chant continues,” he said. “I even have it attached to my alarm clock so that when it rings it says, ‘Jer-ry, Jer-ry.’” (He’s kidding about the alarm clock.)

2. The elephants in the room: He and his wife, Mickie Velton, are the lone Democrats in a family of Republicans.

3. Sarasota spotlight: On a Saturday night in Sarasota, you might spot Springer at Burns Court, catching a movie with his wife. If he could interview any Sarasota resident, Springer would find the city’s oldest living person and ask them about how Sarasota was changed. And if he could choose any Sarasotan as his “Dancing With the Stars” partner? He’d pick his wife, of course.

4. Get real: His friend Piers Morgan tried to recruit him for “Celebrity Apprentice,” but Springer said he is unlikely to star in an upcoming season. “After ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ I don’t think I’ll ever go on another reality show.”

5. For the National Equine-erer: Springer’s most memorable guest appeared on the 1998 episode “I Married a Horse.” “The horse was the memorable one,” Springer said. “The horse’s name was Pixel.”
Springer said that he did a follow-up show and found that the couple had split.

Contact Robin Hartill at rhartill@yourobserver.com
 

 

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