- Jerry Springer passed away on Apr. 27, 2023, at age 79.
- During his life, he was only married once.
- He and his ex-wife, Micki Velton, share a daughter.
A piece of the ’90s was lost on Thursday when Jerry Springer, the host behind his eponymous talk show, passed away. Jerry, 79, died peacefully at his home in suburban Chicago, according to a statement issued from his family, per WLWT Chicago. “Jerry’s ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried, whether that was politics, broadcasting, or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word,” said Jene Galbin, a lifelong friend and spokesperson.
“He’s irreplaceable, and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart, and humor will live on,” she added. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, you consider following his spirit and make a donation or commit to an act of kindness to someone in need or a worthy advocacy organization. A cause of death wasn’t immediately made known.
One member of Jerry’s family is his ex-wife and the mother of his child, Micki Velton. However, when Jerry appeared on theHollywoodLifepodcast in 2021, he indicated that he may be married.
“Well, so if I just keep looking for new jobs, one of them I’m going to nail. I’m telling you, wait till I’m 96, I’ve got an idea, I’m going to hit the nursing homes, and that’s going to be my tour. No comedian does a tour of nursing homes. And I’m thinking if I did that, first of all, I wouldn’t have any problem then with keep telling the same old jokes. Because no one in the home’s going to remember you,” he said. “That’s my new, in fact, my wife and I, we talk about it. And when we’re looking for a home, it’s got to be one that has a social program.”
It’s unclear who Jerry meant at the time. Until future details come to light, here is a look at Micki.
Micki Velton
Though Jerry lived a life in front of the cameras – be it throughout 27 seasons on Jerry Springer, his tenure as Judge Jerry, or during his tenure as the 56th mayor of Cincinnati (1977-1978) – his personal life has been shielded from the spotlight. Such is the case with his one and only marriage.
Jerry reportedly married his wife, Micki, in 1973, per The Sun. When they met, she was busy working for Proctor and Gamble, which would be the time that Jerry was serving on the Cincinnati City Council.
The two dated for a while before getting hitched, and it seemed that Jerry’s scandal – he was forced to resign from his council seat after soliciting a prostitute in 1974, per Slate, but won back the seat a year later – didn’t hurt their marriage. However, as Jerry’s broadcast career was starting to take off, and his name was becoming synonymous with studio brawls and outrageous “too hot for TV” behavior, his marriage came to an end.
Jerry and Micki divorced in 1994. Jerry has been mum about his ex-wife in the near-three decades since the break, and she has eschewed the spotlight. Before then, however, the couple welcomed a daughter: Katie Springer. She was reportedly born in 1976 and, like her mother, has stayed out of the spotlight.
Following his divorce, Jerry never got married again. He continued to keep his love life private, with no major romance making headlines in the decades since that split.
However, Jerry wasn’t one to shy away from the camera or the microphone, especially regarding causes he supported. In 2021, Jerry appeared on the HollywoodLife podcast, slamming the restrictive Texas abortion law and slamming the “gutless and disrespectful” U.S. Supreme Court for refusing to stay or overturn the 6-week abortion ban.
Jerry also spoke with HollywoodLife in October 2022 after his appearance on The Masked Singer. “I’ve made a fool of myself before, so the singing wasn’t going to bother me,” he said. “I would just sing the song as well as I could. I really was worried about how am I going to maneuver the stage with the outfit, but they were so creative. Everybody working on that show they are so professional. That, I guess, is the most thrilling part of all, just to be around so many really talented people, not just famous people but talented people. That’s kind of exciting because most of us don’t get to do that every day.”
