Over the past four decades, we’ve been graced with huge daytime TV talk shows from the likes of The Jeremy Kyle Show, Trisha and The Wendy Williams Show. Many have been on our screens for long as we can remember with a loyal fan base, while others faced an abrupt axe.
Jerry Springer, Trisha Goddard, Jeremy Kyle, Wendy Williams, Vanessa Feltz and Robert Kilroy-Silk are some of the biggest names when it comes to controversial and candid talk shows, whether that’s in the UK or across the pond in the US. Each made their mark on TV and had their own approach when it came to facilitating conversations around hot topics. But what are they up to today?
From cancelled shows, new projects, devastating health battles and a tragic death, we’ve delved into where some of the biggest talk show hosts are up today…
Jerry Springer was the undisputed king of tabloid talk shows and won the hearts of viewers around the world. He began his career in politics before transitioning into the realm of sensationalist TV with his self-titled show that catapulted him to global fame. The show initially centred on political issues before producers revamped it to include more controversial topics such as incest and adultery, profanity, nudity, and studio brawls.
After an epic 27-season run with almost 5,000 episodes, Jerry’s iconic talk show reached its finale in July 2018. However, he remained on the small screen and embraced his role on the courtroom bench for Judge Jerry, donning the judicial robe to look at small claims court cases that had already been filed in jurisdictions across the United States. After three seasons and 366 episodes, Judge Jerry was cancelled due to dwindling viewership in March 2022.
Following the show’s axe, Jerry was ready to embrace retirement while he was “still healthy.” He said: “I’m 78 and have been in front of the camera now for 40 years, plus 10 years in politics. I’m winding down.” He added: “It’s been a 50-year run of being such a public person. I’m looking forward to getting up in the morning and not have a busy day filled with television production and promotion.”
He spent time in Sarasota, Florida, with his daughter Katie and grandchildren and made a brief appearance on The Masked Singer in 2022. On April 27, 2023, his family sadly announced that he had passed away peacefully at his home in Chicago at the age of 79. It was later revealed that he died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Trisha Goddard was born in Hackney, London, but kicked off her TV career in Australia during the 90s, presenting ABC’s The 7.30 Report and kid’s show Play School. In 1998, she burst onto UK screens with her own TV chat show, Trisha, and swiftly became the heart of daytime entertainment with her straight-talking approach. The show moved to Channel 5 in 2004 until it came to an end six years later.
She went on to appear as a conflict resolution expert on the US talk show Maury before launching The Trisha Goddard Show in 2012. The tabloid talk show aired for three seasons in the US and later aired in the UK for two years. Trisha has resided in the US for much of her career but competed on Dancing on Ice in 2020 before becoming the first to be eliminated. In 2021, she presented on talkRADIO before appearing on our screens for TalkTV when it launched in 2022.
In 2008, the TV host was diagnosed with breast cancer after what was meant to be a routine hospital visit for a running injury. Her health took a worrying turn in July 2022 when she was informed that she had secondary breast cancer – also known as metastatic or stage 4 breast cancer – a condition that can be treated but is incurable. Trisha, who once overcame cancer, was devastated when it not only returned over a decade later but also spread to her bones.
The former chat show queen has now returned to our screens for the latest series of Celebrity Big Brother, despite her ongoing health battle with terminal breast cancer. Speaking of her treatment while on the show, she said: “I’ve got a bag full of meds that I normally have, which will be with me in the house. So my oncologist has planned my treatment around the production schedule.” Trisha is continuing to make the most out of life and insists: “I must keep enjoying what I have always enjoyed.”
Jeremy Kyle was one of ITV’s most prominent TV personalities. For 14 years, he fronted his show, The Jeremy Kyle Show, which grappled with a range of personal issues from various guests. However, in 2019, the programme was abruptly cancelled following the suspected suicide of guest Steve Dymond, 63, mere days after a lie detector test on the show suggested he had cheated on his ex-partner Jane Callaghan. The show was put on hold a week later and never returned.
Kyle is said to have shifted his focus to his personal life. The thrice-married TV personality is a father of six. He shares a daughter, Harriet, with his first wife, Kirsty Rowley, and has three children, Alice, Ava, and Henry, with his second wife, Carla Germaine. The host embraced grandfatherhood in 2018 and went on to welcome son Oliver in 2020 with his fiancée Vicky Burton, who formerly nannied his children, and their second child arrived last year.
Since 2020, Kyle has been with Talk as a presenter. Marking his first TV role in three years, he helped launch the new channel TalkTV, sharing the platform with Sharon Osbourne. He acknowledged the fact that some of his celebrity friends distanced themselves after his show’s termination but expressed gratitude towards notable figures like Declan Donnelly, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford, Rob Rinder, and Kate Garraway for their support and outreach.
TV legend Wendy Williams is best known for her long-running The Wendy Williams Show, which launched in 2008 until Sherri Shepherd took over in 2022. Before finding TV fame, Wendy was a radio DJ and host and gained attention following her on-air spats with celebrities.
During her time on the small screen, Wendy was open about her health struggles and, in 2018, revealed she suffers from Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism. A health battle followed when Wendy was sadly diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA) in May 2023.
She has since moved into an assisted living facility in New York with a court-appointed guardian controlling her affairs. However, Wendy has made it clear that her top priority is to free herself from the conservatorship, stating: “In terms of getting out of guardianship, that is my number one, number one most important thing.”
On March 10 of this year, Wendy was rushed to hospital after dropping a note pleading for help to the paparazzi downstairs from her fifth-story room in the assisted living. According to Page Six, the police were then called to do a wellness check, and the talk show icon was swiftly escorted to a waiting ambulance.
Most notably, Vanessa Feltz was a staple on This Morning for 33 years and was also dubbed the ‘British Oprah’ as she presented her UK talk show, Vanessa, from 1994 to 1998. She shot to further success, appearing on The Big Breakfast, The Vanessa Show, Celebrity Big Brother in 2010, The Wright Stuff and Strictly Come Dancing in 2013.
Vanessa revealed last November that she was permanently filling Carol Vorderman’s Sunday shoes on the radio show LBC after the former Countdown presenter stepped down. Vanessa had been hosting her own Saturday afternoon show on LBC since May. Her programme features in-depth discussions and analysis on topics that resonate with the British public, offering her unique perspective and opinions.
In March of this year, Vanessa then waved goodbye to This Morning after 33 years to launch her own Channel 5 show, Vanessa. The daytime show, which provides a diverse mix of topics, including celebrity news, gossip, fashion trends, relationship insights, and parenting advice, aired on March 24.
Away from TV, Vanessa was left heartbroken in 2023 when her ex-fiancé, Ben Ofoedu, ended their 16-year relationship after she found out he had cheated on her. Ben admitted his infidelities and said: “I was wrong …I betrayed the love of my life.” He also said at the time: “I’ve broken her trust. She gave me another chance. I’ve gone and destroyed that.”
Robert Kilroy-Silk is a former Labour MP and broadcaster who shot to fame when he hosted his daytime chat show Kilroy. It launched in 1986 but abruptly ended in 2004 following racially charged comments he made in a Sunday Express column. After the show’s axe, Robert returned to politics and served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009. He later became a key figure in the Brexit movement, leading to him being dubbed ‘The Godfather of Brexit’.
During his prime time TV slot, Robert also hosted the controversial game show Shafted from 5 to 26 November 2001. This saw six players state how much money they would like to receive, the maximum being £25,000. Once everyone had made their choice, the person who asked for the highest amount would be eliminated, and so forth. In a viral clip from the show that lasted less than 20 days, Robert can be heard telling the audience: “Their fate will be in each other’s hands as they decide whether to share or to shaft.”
Today, the 82 year old has a relatively low profile and is thought to reside in a picturesque gothic mansion on the outskirts of Plymouth. He once gave an insight into his ‘busy’ life with his wife Jan Beech and revealed: “We travel a lot, go to the theatre, opera, ballet.” He added: “Life’s been very full. I haven’t got enough time to do all the things I want to do.”
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