Heavy/Getty/Fox Jerry Springer.
Jerry Springer’s publicist spoke out after he was omitted from the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards In Memoriam segment.
The 2024 In Memoriam paid tribute to television personalities who died since the last Emmy Awards ceremony aired in 2022. Several big names were omitted, including television pioneer Springer, who also once competed on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Fans – and Springer’s longtime publicist Linda Shafran—were upset by the omission. Shafran posted a message to LinkedIn to call out producers or the blatant snub. “Shame on the Emmy Awards for not including television legend JERRY SPRINGER in their ‘In Memoriam’ segment tonight! Jerry wasn’t just a daytime host – don’t forget he hosted America’s Got Talent for two years!” Shafran wrote on January 15.
Shafran also posted to the X app. “Shame on the #emmys #emmyawards for not including TV legend @jerryspringer in their In Memoriam. TERRIBLE!”
Springer’s rep told Radar Online the whole thing was “very sad.” “He deserves to be remembered!” his rep added.
Springer died in April 2023 at age 79 of pancreatic cancer. His pioneering talk show debuted in 1991 and aired in syndication until 2018. Springer was also a contestant on DWTS season 3 in 2006.
Other Big Names Were Also Missing From the Emmy Awards’ In Memoriam Segment
“All in the Family” co-stars Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers introduced the In Memoriam segment. The classic TV stars appeared together in a recreation of Archie Bunker’s famous living room.
“Tonight as we remember the legends of our industry we lost this past year, we celebrate their lives and legacy and the joy they brought to us,” Struthers said, before remembering late “All in the Family” creator Norman Lear.
The full tribute, which aired for more than six minutes, featured singer Charlie Puth and husband-wife R&B duo The War and Treaty. The trio performed Puth’s 2015 song “See You Again” before segueing to the Rembrandts’ “Friends” theme song, “I’ll Be There for You.” Photos of late television legends such as Lear, Bob Barker, Barbara Walters, André Braugher, and Matthew Perry flashed onscreen.
In addition, DWTS personalities Suzanne Somers, Kirstie Alley, and veteran DWTS judge Len Goodman were included in the tribute.
But the missing legends, including Springer, Raquel Welch, Ryan O’Neal, and “Addams Family” alum Lisa Loring, left fans, family members, and colleagues upset.
“Uhhh… where the heck was Jerry Springer in the memorial? #Emmys,” one fan asked on X.
“Wasn’t watching #Emmys but someone let me know they left my dad out of the ‘in memoriam,’” Ryan O’Neal’s son Patrick posted on X. “Kind of wish I didn’t know right now but I would’ve found out. Sad and mad is a paralyzing combo.”
An Emmy Awards Producer Addressed the Snubs
Amid the backlash, an Emmy Awards producer called the segment “the hardest part of the show” to put together.
“The selection process is handled by the Television Academy, so we focus more on the creative side of it,” producer Jesse Collins told Entertainment Tonight. “And it’s just about making sure that when we are acknowledging someone, we give them their just due and it’s respectful and loving, and we just try to make sure that we accomplish that.”
Collins praised the “spectacular” pairing of Puth, The War and Treaty for the segment.
The many stars who did not get a mention in the TV tribute are included in the Emmys Database. Since 2009, the database includes the name, occupation, date of passing, and links to photos and videos for all of those included in the televised In Memoriam segment, and the many others who were not.
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