Revealed: Jerry Springer’s most unpleasant and aggressive guests – from the Ku Klux Klan to a murderer

From members of the Ku Klux Klan and a murderer to cheating husbands and a stripper who would sleep with her sister’s boyfriends, The Jerry Springer Show’s guestlist wasn’t an enviable one.

The US daytime program, which ran for 27 years and spanned nearly 4,000 episodes, showcased a whole host of shocking, unpleasant and wild TV moments – including a groom who was unfaithful with his bride’s maid-of-honor. 

Springer, the late former Cincinnati mayor, who died in April last year aged 79, called the show ‘escapist entertainment’, while others claimed it was contributing to a decline in American social values. 

But despite the questionable guests, the show was so popular in the ’90s that it even managed to top Oprah Winfrey’s program in several cities.

Now, the show is set to be explored in a new Netflix documentary – Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, which will premiere on 7 January.

It will explore the show’s origins and meteoric rise – as well as the dark side of the ratings behemoth – and what really went on behind the scenes.

Firsthand testimony and revelations from show insiders, including producers and ex-guests, will reveal the ‘destruction’ the program caused.

Ahead of the new Netflix show, FEMAIL reveals some of the most shocking guests in the show’s history.

‘Klanfrontation’ (1997)

One of the biggest clashes on the Jerry Springer stage was that between members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

The topic is thought to have been a sensitive one for Springer – the son of Jewish-German refugees who fled the Nazis.

The KKK had appeared to discuss race and religion with the JDL in 1997 with Jerry acting as moderator. 

Unsurprisingly, things soon took a turn for the worst after one of the KKK members mocked JDL chairman Irv Rubin by revealing a kippah beneath his hood, triggered an all-out melee.

The brawl spilled over to include Jerry’s security and even members of the show’s audience.

‘Secret Mistresses Confronted’ (2001)

Back in 2000, Ralph Panitz caused shockwaves when he appeared on the show with his wife Eleanor and ex-wife Nancy.

The married couple claimed that Nancy was stalking them, which she denied, and attempted to humiliate her by calling her ‘fat’ and ‘old.’

But the story took a tragic turn when news broke that just hours after the show Ralph beat 52-year-old Nancy to death in her Sarasota home.

Ralph, then 43, was sentenced to life in prison as the judge scolded Jerry Springer and the show for ‘manipulation.’

Nancy’s son, Jeffrey, filed a suit against the show a short time later on behalf of her estate.

It blamed the program for escalating the stormy relationship between the former couple which ultimately ended in murder.

At the time, lawyers for the Campbells had predicted a damage award of more than $25 million, but ultimately they settled for nothing.

‘You Slept With My Stripper Sister’ (2011)

One of the most popular clips from The Jerry Springer Show is undoubtedly the encounter titled ‘You Slept With My Stripper Sister.’

The explosive segment saw a stripper tell her crying sister that she had sex with her boyfriend after a drunken night out.

And, despite attempting to half-heartedly apologize, distraught sister Christina was having none of it.

The crowd were on Christina’s side when she revealed the stripper had developed somewhat of a habit – having previously slept with two of her boyfriends in the past.

The duo got into a vicious fist fight and the audience heckled as clumps of hair extensions were ripped out and derogatory slurs were exchanged.

When Christina’s boyfriend came out to apologize, but argued that it was just a ‘mistake,’ he also received a weighty slap.

‘4 Kids With 3 Women…’

Another popular clip from The Jerry Springer Show is when Dean brought his fiancée Tilita on the show to reveal to her that he had had multiple affairs and to introduce her to his new girlfriend. 

Dean, who never told his new girlfriend Stephanie that he was engaged, said Tilita can’t ‘work it’ and can’t satisfy his self-proclaimed ‘horse ****’ anymore.

Bizarrely Dean claimed he was just 14-years-old and Tilita was 17 when they started chatting online.

The pair met when he was 18-years-old and they went onto have two children together. Dean revealed he has two more children with two other women. 

On the show Dean revealed he didn’t love Tilita anymore despite only asking her to marry him two weeks previously. 

He also started dating his new girlfriend two months before he proposed to Tilita because he wanted to ‘fight for their relationship’.

After Tilita revealed that Dean has only contributed $10 to his children over the years the crowd were on her side and chanted ‘you suck’.

However it got heated when Stephanie joined the pair on the stage and a fight broke out between the women – causing the production security to step in. 

‘Maid of Honor Sleeps with the Groom!’

Elsewhere, a maid of honor went onto the show to reveal that she had been sleeping with her best friend’s fiancé for several months. 

Dreeka wanted to make sure her friend, T.K, who was the bride, didn’t go through with the wedding because of the secret.

T.K, who was in her wedding dress, immediately confronted Dreeka and the pair had a physical fight in front of a cheering audience. 

Meanwhile, her fiancé Tyree arrived wearing his wedding suit and confessed to having multiple affairs. 

Tyree claimed he never wanted to marry T.K and he slept with Dreeka because T.K wasn’t around when she was at school. 

Tyree said he was used to having five or six woman at a time and he is ‘not used to being faithful’. 

In a bizarre ending 18-year-old Tyree decided to rap his breakup message to T.K but he couldn’t remember the lyrics. 

After a third attempt at the awkward rap the crowd started laughing and Jerry decided to cut to an ad break. 

‘My Boyfriend Calls Me Fat & Ugly… But I Love Him!’ 

Cordelia went on the show to ask producers for a makeover so her boyfriend would love her again. 

She admitted that she still loved him despite him calling her fat, ugly and lazy but she wanted to ‘make it work’.

She admitted that at the beginning of the relationship it was perfect but since she lost her job he started treating her badly. 

Cordelia’s boyfriend Jimmy stormed on stage saying he still didn’t want her despite her glamorous makeover. 

He admitted to multiple affairs and claimed the only reason he continued to sleep with Cordelia was because there was no one else around at that time. 

Jimmy aggressively shouted at Cordelia before introducing her to his new girlfriend Donna. 

He claimed he was going to be moving Donna into the apartment that he shared with Cordelia. However, Cordelia said she was refusing to move out. 

‘I Hooked Up With My Wife’s Mother’

Dusty went on the show to confess to his wife, Jennifer, that he hooked up with her mother, Tammy, after a night of drinking. 

He shared how he’d been married to Jennifer for three years and were raising four children together.

Dusty said he loved his wife ‘more then anything’ so he wanted to come clean and try to patch things up.  

When Jennifer confronted her husband on stage it escalated into a fight, and she said her mother was her ‘best friend’.

Tammy joined the pair onstage and she claimed she couldn’t remember the night because she was drinking. 

Jennifer’s father then arrived on stage and an all-out brawl broke out between the two men. 

Tammy begged for her daughter’s forgiveness and it seemed like the pair were patching things up. 

However, Jennifer made it clear to Dusty that the relationship was over and he would need to move out of their home.