FEED-DROP ALERT! From Leon Neyfakh and Prologue Projects — the award-winning team behind Think Twice: Michael Jackson, Slow Burn, Fiasco, Backfired, and of course, 5-4 — comes a new Audible Original, Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer.

You may think you know Jerry Springer—the iconic TV host who presided over America's most controversial daytime talk show for 27 years. In that time, Springer’s name became synonymous with outrageous guests, taboo confessions, and vicious on-stage fights. But before The Jerry Springer Show made him infamous all over the world, Springer was something else entirely: a respected Midwestern politician whom many saw as a future leader in the Democratic Party. So how did this serious-minded idealist with lofty political aspirations take such a turn in such a radically different direction?

Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer tells the fascinating story of a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany who became the beloved mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio before morphing into a symbol of cultural decline. Through dozens of intimate and revealing interviews with those who knew Springer best—from his big sister to his early political aides to the producers who shaped his show—listeners will be transported into the world of this singular figure’s rise to notoriety, and his fascinating struggle to reconcile his status as “the king of trash TV” with his lifelong dream of returning to politics.

Final Thoughts examines timeless questions about ambition, compromise, and whether we can ever truly separate who we are from what we do for a living. Was Jerry

Springer a principled would-be statesman who took a detour into the gutter, or did his show reveal something essential about his character – not to mention ours

Listen now on Audible at audible.com/Springer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FEED-DROP ALERT!!!! From Leon Neyfakh and Prologue Projects — the award-winning team behind Think Twice: Michael Jackson, Slow Burn, Fiasco, Backfired, and of course, 5-4 — comes a new Audible Original, Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer.

You may think you know Jerry Springer—the iconic TV host who presided over America's most controversial daytime talk show for 27 years. In that time, Springer’s name became synonymous with outrageous guests, taboo confessions, and vicious on-stage fights. But before The Jerry Springer Show made him infamous all over the world, Springer was something else entirely: a respected Midwestern politician whom many saw as a future leader in the Democratic Party. So how did this serious-minded idealist with lofty political aspirations take such a turn in such a radically different direction?

Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer tells the fascinating story of a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany who became the beloved mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio before morphing into a symbol of cultural decline. Through dozens of intimate and revealing interviews with those who knew Springer best—from his big sister to his early political aides to the producers who shaped his show—listeners will be transported into the world of this singular figure’s rise to notoriety, and his fascinating struggle to reconcile his status as “the king of trash TV” with his lifelong dream of returning to politics.

Final Thoughts examines timeless questions about ambition, compromise, and whether we can ever truly separate who we are from what we do for a living. Was Jerry

Springer a principled would-be statesman who took a detour into the gutter, or did his show reveal something essential about his character – not to mention ours

Listen now on Audible at audible.com/Springer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court has been stripping away students' free speech rights for decades. They don't want you to think for yourself or speak your mind. You might end up making podcasts like this.

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5-4 is presented by Prologue Projects. This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto. Leon Neyfakh provides editorial support. Our researcher is Jonathan DeBruin, and our website was designed by Peter Murphy. Our artwork is by Teddy Blanks at Chips NY, and our theme song is by Spatial Relations.

Follow the show at @fivefourpod on most platforms. On BlueSky, find Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social, Michael @fleerultra.bsky.social, and Rhiannon @aywarhiannon.bsky.social.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.