When I first heard about it, I was thinking it was just another hoax. But it's true.

I've heard many people say that The Jerry Springer Show was a 90's icon of popular culture. Entertainment takes many forms and I watched my fair share of Mr. Springer's show.

The "Springer formula" for lowbrow television came up a lot at my job and it was a co-worker who suggested, "what if all the people who appear on The Jerry Springer Show are actually bit-part actors receiving union scale pay to play ordinary people on a television show?".

That idea began to make sense as the show's storylines became more bizarre and many of the show's "guests" seem very comfortable on camera talking about the unthinkable, lol.

Rest In Peace Jerry Springer. I fear your legacy is a change in popular culture for the worse.

He definitely carved out a place in the zeitgeist of the era. Right up there with Morton Downey and Geraldo.

Ah, there was nothing like catching an episode during a sick day from school and watching someone fight with one of their family members over a disagreement or some other thing.

I recall an episode titled, "Jerry, I'm six months pregnant - and I smoke cigarettes".

This was the show that got me convinced that Jerry Springer's "guests", amy actually be actors.

A pregnant teen walks out on-stage smoking a cigarette, to the screams and boos of the audience. She still had the cigarette in her hand when she sat next to Jerry. The conversation went:

Jerry - "I understand you are six months pregnant and still smoking".

Guest - "that's right Jerry, and I drink alcohol too".

At that, the smoking teen reaches in her cleavage and takes out a small sample bottle bottle of whiskey.

This whole scenario seems sketchy. Public Fire Codes forbid lighted cigarettes in television studios, the risk of a fire is too great and poses a dangerous situation to a live studio audience. Also, the pregnant teen moved around with such ease, as if she was wearing a prop. Plus, she was both funny and at ease on a TV show. It all added up to convince me that "the fix" was in!

As I said earlier, the stories became more weird as the show progressed, at some point I lost interest altogether.