how you doing come on it is great you couldn't get Oprah so uh
I'll tell you something we don't we don't want Oprah we don't need Oprah we we have you here
tonight and I'm thrilled to be I was I was uh but Oprah runs that town doesn't she when it comes
to TV talk shows doesn't Oprah you pretty much got to get Oprah's blessing to do anything yes
see it's true she uh she gave me permission to be here tonight no she's the best she is she is I'm
just how many shows do they do out of Chicago they got Oprah they got you who else Jenny Jones Jenny
Jones now that how's that show doing I assume it's doing now that's the show and I'm not trying to be
uh uh a silly here but that's a show that killed a guy a couple of years ago right yeah the show
didn't kill a guy are you sure I checked it out the show didn't kill a guy and the reason
I bring this up is you got to be very careful because it looks like to me you got nothing but
Mayhem going on there you kill a guy on your TV show and that's a that's a gives you a black eye
it doesn't do much for the guy that gets killed either let's talk a little bit about yourself you
you've done a lot of things in your life haven't you you were a politician in Cincinnati Ohio I
used to be the mayor of Cincinnati yeah was that your first uh entree to public life as
the mayor you'd been in the city council or yeah I've been yeah city council mayor was the first
public job at I started out as a lawyer and then yeah that's where you started as a lawyer right
are you originally from Cincinnati no I was born in England right yeah what town in England London
oh I've heard of that and I uh I left when I was five I left when I found out I couldn't be
king and then I came over to New York Bob Hope yeah and I yeah pretty good it's a credit yeah
so yeah and then I grew up in New York yeah I grew up right here in New York but you it's interesting
that you made uh had some political success in Cincinnati and then and then after that you got
into broadcasting right right I was hired by the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati to Anchor the news
and I did that for 10 years what station is that WLWT was channel five oh that's right you know I
used to work for the same company when it used to be Crosley and then it was avco that's right yeah
uh but before that you you got you in trouble with hookers or something yes
yeah I was yeah I spent time with a woman of the night when was this was this when
you were broadcasting or when you were the is this no this is good
I I thought I was in the David Letterman show yeah um well I guess again Pepe yeah
let's see your boys come over
there you go because they're going to check your question all right now but
take us through the chronology of yes uh well I rang the doorbell no no no no no no
did this happen when you were a part of the city council when you were the mayor yes no before I
was married it was five years before I became mayor and was there an explanation for this or
you were going through a troubled divorce yeah I just made a mistake I was dumb and stupid now
were you arrested for this no because how did people find out I told them you told them I
held a press conference and I told people what I did right and so now normally you would think when
was the last time you were in Chicago uh about a year ago yeah you ought to come by and see the
show okay fine yeah I'm sorry did you change the subject Jerry yes oh wait a minute wait a minute
so but it's it's interesting to me that this is like 10 15 years ago 28 years 28 years ago when
a revelation like that I think carried a little more weight yes because now hookers are nothing
you know people that the platform guys run on that platform I like hookers oh great they get elected
like it but in those days it wasn't a good thing not a good thing at all but you you persevered
and you survived now did you did you repent did you pay time did you pay your debt to society was
there a dentist who paid the debt anyway how big is that did you run up Jerry 50 bucks [Applause]
uh okay now I did I you know I resigned from a city council at the time and then the next year
I decided to go back and let the people decide who became mayor and they elected me Mayor of
Cincinnati well I got a I got to think that says something about you or something about the
people of Cincinnati I'm not sure now let's talk about talk about your show it's like the number
one rated show now how do you feel about that success a lot of people say that it's all fake
the fighting and stuff here look okay yeah right in front of the New York Post right there it's a
fake it's funny that that's the headline on a fake newspaper too yeah it's a fake pot calling the
kettle black uh that the fights and all of that are orchestrated is that true I'd say I'd say 90
of it is absolutely true yes there are people that come on the show and I'm sure make up the stories
um most don't our producers do a real good job at finding that out and occasionally apparently
we have had producers that go over the line and try and get their guests to do things that they
shouldn't do that's wrong I want the show to be honest because that's the only way it
works otherwise you might as well have a soap opera God bless you Steve Benham Chicago now
now did you know let me ask you this does does your does your show does television generally
have any effect any real lasting effect on the world today your show or television
generally have any effect good or bad no my show is plain stupid I mean it's just
it is yeah it's not it has no it has no effect now why doesn't somebody beat you up
thank you oh my gosh well listen I appreciate you coming in for our big Chicago show yes
you're the kid you're the new queen of daytime television congratulations Jerry Jerry Springer
[Music]
foreign [Music]