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5-4

Introducing... Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer, a New Podcast from Leon Neyfakh

5-4

Prologue Projects

News Commentary, News, Government

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

FEED-DROP ALERT!!!! From Leon Neyfakh and Prologue Projects — the award-winning team behind Think Twice: Michael Jackson, Slow Burn, Fiasco, Backfired, and of course, 5-4 — comes a new Audible Original, Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer.


You may think you know Jerry Springer—the iconic TV host who presided over America's most controversial daytime talk show for 27 years. In that time, Springer’s name became synonymous with outrageous guests, taboo confessions, and vicious on-stage fights. But before The Jerry Springer Show made him infamous all over the world, Springer was something else entirely: a respected Midwestern politician whom many saw as a future leader in the Democratic Party. So how did this serious-minded idealist with lofty political aspirations take such a turn in such a radically different direction?


Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer tells the fascinating story of a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany who became the beloved mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio before morphing into a symbol of cultural decline. Through dozens of intimate and revealing interviews with those who knew Springer best—from his big sister to his early political aides to the producers who shaped his show—listeners will be transported into the world of this singular figure’s rise to notoriety, and his fascinating struggle to reconcile his status as “the king of trash TV” with his lifelong dream of returning to politics.


Final Thoughts examines timeless questions about ambition, compromise, and whether we can ever truly separate who we are from what we do for a living. Was Jerry

Springer a principled would-be statesman who took a detour into the gutter, or did his show reveal something essential about his character – not to mention ours


Listen now on Audible at audible.com/Springer.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, 5-4 listeners, it's Leon Nefok.

0:05.9

I'm here to tell you about a brand-new series from me and Prolog Projects,

0:10.4

an audible original series called Final Thoughts, Jerry Springer,

0:14.6

the story of a television show that changed the world and the man who gave it his name.

0:19.7

You may think you know, Jerry Springer, a TV host who

0:23.0

presided over America's most controversial daytime talk show for 27 years. In that time, Springer became

0:30.3

synonymous with outrageous guests, taboo confessions, and vicious on-stage fighting. But did you

0:36.4

know that before the Jerry Springer show made him notorious all over the world?

0:41.1

Springer was something else entirely, a respected Midwestern politician, the progressive mayor

0:47.8

of a major Rust Belt City, a man many saw as a future leader in democratic politics.

0:54.9

How did this idealistic rising star, with his lofty political ambitions, take a turn in such a radically different direction?

1:03.3

If you're curious, keep listening to get a sneak peek at the first two episodes of Final Thoughts Jerry Springer.

1:09.6

To listen to the full series, just search for Final Thoughts

1:12.7

Jerry Springer on the Audible app or go to audible.com slash Springer. If you don't have an

1:18.2

audible subscription, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial and start listening today.

1:23.2

Now, on to the show.

1:28.3

Will you state your name for the record, please?

1:31.0

My name is Jerry Springer.

1:34.4

Will you spell your last name?

1:38.4

What a quarter?

1:39.2

No, I'm saying.

1:40.2

S-P-R-I-N-G-E-R.

...

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