Here's What Happened To Jerry Springer's Net Worth And Massive Estate After He Died
Highlights
- Fans were surprised by a viral video claiming that Jerry Springer left his fortune to 'secret' children.
- The video was from a virtual play where Springer revealed his "will".
- Jerry Springer left behind a large net worth and an impressive estate.
After Jerry Springer became a TV host decades ago, his self-titled talk show became one of the most controversial series in history. Between the many controversial episodes of The Jerry Springer Show and rumors that guests were hired actors, fans couldn't stop talking about the talk show.
Even though Springer fans spent years watching him on their televisions, many of them knew very little about his personal life. As a result, when Springer passed away, many of his fans didn't know if he was sick or what happened to his large fortune.
Did Jerry Springer Have Secret Children And Did He Leave Them His Estate?
From 1991 until 2018, Jerry Springer served as the host of The Jerry Springer Show. When The Jerry Springer Show premiered, it was a relatively tame show but over time, it became one of the most outrageous shows in history.
When Springer passed away in 2023, many fans of his long-running talk show mourned his passing and celebrated his life. Little did most fans suspect that Springer would soon become the focus of a story that would have fit in on his talk show.
Shortly after Springer passed away, a video surfaced and soon went viral on social media. In that video, Springer could be seen seemingly reading his will and revealing to two black people over a Zoom call that they secretly were his children and he was leaving them most of his fortune.
In the video, Springer speaks about having four children including Jordan and Megan who he has always been there for. Springer claims he was blackmailed into not raising his secret children John and Misha but after witnessing the Black Lives Matter movement, he had to provide for them in his passing.
"Joan kept me away from you with the threat of exposure. She did not keep me from providing for you. You see I told her that if I had to accept the life without you she would not get a red cent of my fortune and that you would be named equally on my will in the event of my passing."
"But with everything going on in the world right now, I realize that I have to go a step further. Jordan, Megan I leave our home here in New Orleans to you to do whatever you want. The rest of the estate, my properties in Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, my bank accounts, investment portfolios, all liquid and intangible assets everything all of it will go to my children John and Misha."
When the short video of Springer went viral, fans of his had a massive response. One Twitter post perfectly exemplifies the way many people responded to the video.
"The best Jerry Springer episode ever is Jerry reading his own will‼️ He had 2 black children out of wedlock, wife threatens to expose, so he keeps it under wraps until he dies, then leaves all his money to the children he never met. What a legend‼️????"
Another Twitter user responded to the video of Springer this way. "Wow Jerry Springer really went out with a bang. This is his will and final testament on this earth." It is also worth noting that several websites published articles about Springer leaving his fortune to his two secret children.
It probably shouldn't surprise anyone that Snopes later reported that the claim that Springer left his fortune to his secret children was wrong. "On May 14, 2023, social media posts began to claim that former daytime talk show host Jerry Springer left his entire estate to two biracial children whose existence had been kept secret. This claim was false."
While Springer didn't have secret children he left his estate to, the video of the former talk show host was very real. As it turns out, before Springer passed away, he appeared in a virtual play titled Blood Money that was recorded over Zoom.
The virtual play was screened as part of Tulane University's festival that was called "REFRAMED 2020: A Festival of New Plays on Social Justice". As a Tulane University alumni, Springer was asked to film a cameo for Blood Money and that is where the viral video came from.
The video clip of Springer's Blood Money cameo originally made its way onto social media for totally innocent reasons. One of the actors who portrayed one of Springer's secret children uploaded the clip on TikTok simply wanting to share it with friends. That actor had no way of knowing other people would see the clip and take it seriously.
Who Inherited Jerry Springer's Fortune?
Before Jerry Springer passed away, he led a truly fascinating life. After serving as the 56th Mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978, Springer's controversial political career ended and he became a news anchor. Springer would then go on to host his memorable talk show before moving on to star in the show Judge Jerry from 2018 until 2022.
Thanks to Springer's years in the entertainment industry, he became very wealthy. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Springer's estate is worth $60 million at the time of this writing, but other outlets have estimated he was worth as much as $75 million.
Even though Springer was worth a lot of money, there aren't any reports about who he left his fortune to. On top of that, there haven't been any reports about Springer's estate going to charity. For those reasons, it seems logical to conclude that there wasn't a huge fight over Springer's estate, and his money mostly went to the two people he was closest to in life.
In 1973, Springer and a woman named Micki Velton tied the knot. It later was widely reported and believed that Springer and Velton got divorced in 1994. However, as Springer's representatives later confirmed, he actually reconciled with Velton, and the couple was married for 49 years before his passing.
During Springer and Velton's marriage, they had a daughter named Katie Springer. Legally blind and deaf in one ear, Katie Springer is married and works with special needs children. Katie Springer has credited her success to her parents never treating her like she is different.
When Springer passed away, he presumably left the bulk of his estate to his wife and daughter. Failing that, Springer may have left everything to his wife knowing their daughter would inherit it upon her passing. Either way, there is no reason to think that Springer didn't leave his estate to his real family.
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