JERRY Springer’s bodyguard ‘Big’ Steve Wilkos went from being a humble cop to a household name when he started his own show in 2007.
The TV personality served as the head of Springer’s security detail on his eponymously named talk show.
Steve Wilkos is an American television personality and former law enforcement officer with the Chicago Police Department.
He is also the host of NBCUniversal’s The Steve Wilkos Show.
Born in Chicago, Steve joined the US Marine Corps where he served for seven years before enlisting with the Chicago Police Department, where he was an officer for 12 years.
Steve retired from the force in 2001.
The celebrated broadcaster has scooped three Prism Award nominations for raising awareness about substance abuse issues.
He has also chalked up a number of acting credits, including a cameo on The Simpsons and an appearance in hit motion picture Austin Powers: The Spy Who Sh***ed Me.
Sports fan Steve has been spotted at various professional sporting events such as baseball, basketball and football games.
Wilkos and his wife, Rachelle, who is executive producer on The Steve Wilkos Show and The Jerry Springer Show, have two children and live in Connecticut.
Steve started as the head of security on The Jerry Springer Show in 1994.
It was hosted by the late Jerry Springer, an ex-news anchor and former Mayor of Cincinnati, who invited controversial guests on to his shows and didn’t mince his words.
The show was shown in America but became a hit sensation across the pond in the nineties as it pulled in millions of viewers for ITV and That’s TV.
It tackled controversial topics such as incest, adultery, beastality as well as sensitive topics including racism.
Love trysts, paternity tests and cheating spouses were its staple ingredients and every episode found new shocking dramas.
Guests and audience members got so heated that often fights would break out.
Some critics dismissed it as “trash TV”, and TV Guide said it was the “worst TV show of all time.”
This was something that Jerry himself proudly introduced at the start of every programme.
Jerry Springer was a broadcaster, journalist, actor, producer, former lawyer, and politician.
He was born on February 13, 1944, in London to parents Margot Kallmann and Richard Springer.
He started his career off in politics but switched to entertainment in the 1990s with his controversial syndicated self-titled tabloid talk show.
The show often featured guests who were not afraid of embarrassing themselves on national television and would cover several topics ranging from incest and adultery to politics and conflicts.
The Jerry Springer Show first premiered in September 1991 and was on air for 28 seasons before ending in July 2018.
In 2019, he then launched the court show Judge Jerry, which ran for three seasons.
Jerry died at his home in April 2023 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He is survived by his daughter Katie who he had with ex-wife and media personality Micki Velton.
