Controversial Jerry Springer episode had to be banned from air after weird scenes unfolded
Topics: Film and TV, US News
Jess Hardiman
Featured Image Credit: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy/NBC
Topics: Film and TV, US News
While The Jerry Springer Show was known for a number of bizarre moments, there was one that proved so controversial it was eventually banned.
Hear Springer talk about the episode here:
Back in 1998, Springer interviewed three people who were involved in ‘interspecies relationships’, one of whom was a man called Mark.
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He claimed he was married to a horse named Pixel and even admitted to having sexual relations with the animal – though thankfully did not go into details.
Mark proceeded to kiss the animal on air, insisting the relationship with consensual.
"If she didn't like it, she could always leave,” he said.
Despite bestiality being a crime at the federal level since the 1950s under the United States Armed Forces Code, Mark seemed nothing but proud of his unorthodox ‘marriage’, even revealing he was slowly dying from hepatitis as a result of the sex.
Needless to say, this all proved a bit too much – even for The Jerry Springer Show – and it was banned from being aired again.
And it turns out Springer was just as shocked as the rest of us were, as he had no idea what was about to unfold when Mark walked into the studio.
Speaking about the episode on The Meredith Vieira Show in 2016, he recalled: “This actually happened. I’m not allowed to know what the show’s about, so they hand me a card, but all my card has on it is the names of the guests.
“I’m supposed to ask questions that you would ask sitting at home watching and then make jokes, but I never know what the subject is.”
Springer couldn’t remember the guy’s name, but said he asked his guest what was going on.
“And he says, ‘Oh, well, I’m having trouble with the neighbours’,” he explained.
Mark said they had a problem with his wife, but wasn’t sure why, as she didn’t make any noise or talk to anyone.
Springer continued: “This is going nowhere, so I’m thinking, ‘This is boring’. I look at the next name on the list and it says Pixel. ‘Well, let’s bring out Pixel!’
“And out comes this HORSE!”
Springer said he still didn’t put two and two together at this point, mistakenly thinking his wife had fallen off the horse.
He added: " I thought his wife has fallen off the horse, you don't think, 'Oh gee, that's his wife', so I started yelling, 'Someone check backstage', and the producers start yelling to me, 'No, no, that's his wife!'"