Freaks talk back by Joshua Gamson: scholarly text about tabloid talk shows.

Tabloid talk shows are a genre of American television talk-shows that achieved peak viewership during the late 20th century, ran mostly during the day, and were distributed mostly through syndication. The genre is believed to have originated with Phil Donahue and the increased viewership and personal confessions of Oprah Winfrey are believed to have popularized^[1] and revolutionized it.^[2][3]Tabloid talk shows have sometimes been described as the freak shows of the late 20th century since most of their guests were outside the mainstream. The distinguishing features of these shows is a host that wanders through the studio audience getting opinions from everyday people seated to watch the show, and shows focused on a topic of the day that is often seen as provocative and explored through public confessions and a focus on "group therapy". Image File history File links Freakstalkback. ... Image File history File links Freakstalkback. ... Phil Donahue Phillip John Donahue (b. ... Oprah Winfrey, (born January 29, 1954) is a multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest rated talk show in television history. ...

History

The origins of the tabloid talk show format have been traced to 1970 with Phil Donahue, as host of The Phil Donahue Show. Although Donahue's show originally started off as a show similar to the others of its day, he soon began to push the envelope with the discussion of topics deemed to be taboo such as atheism, anatomically correct naked dolls, and homosexuality. Donahue also distinguished himself from traditional talk shows by being the first to get off the stage, and take his microphone directly into the studio audience. See also: 1969 in television, other events of 1970, 1971 in television and the list of years in television. For the American network television schedule, please see 1970-71 American network television schedule. ... Phil Donahue Phillip John Donahue (b. ... The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, was the first tabloid talk show. ... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general, for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ...

For over a decade, Donahue's was the only show of this kind, and so tabloid talk shows had not yet been described as a genre, lucrative industry, or counterculture movement. All of that changed in 1986 when a relatively unknown 32 year old woman named Oprah Winfrey became the first broadcaster able to challenge Donahue in the ratings. Winfrey's show quickly doubled Donahue's audience as her personal confessions and focus on therapy were seen by many as redefining the format. Oprah Winfrey, (born January 29, 1954) is a multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest rated talk show in television history. ...

Time magazine wrote, "Guests with sad stories to tell are apt to rouse a tear in Oprah's eye....They, in turn, often find themselves revealing things they would not imagine telling anyone, much less a national TV audience. It is the talk show as a group therapy session."

By confessing intimate details about her weight problems, tumultuous love life, and sexual abuse, and crying along side her guests, Time Magazine credits Winfrey with creating a new form of media communication known as "rapport talk" as distinguished from the "report talk" of Phil Donahue:

"Winfrey saw television's power to blend public and private; while it links strangers and conveys information over public airwaves, TV is most often viewed in the privacy of our homes. Like a family member, it sits down to meals with us and talks to us in the lonely afternoons. Grasping this paradox, ...She makes people care because she cares. That is Winfrey's genius, and will be her legacy, as the changes she has wrought in the talk show continue to permeate our culture and shape our lives."^[4]

Winfrey continued Donahue's pattern of exploring topics that were at the time considered taboo. For an entire hour in the 1980s, members of the studio audience stood up one by one, gave their name and announced that they were gay. Also in the 1980s Winfrey took her show to West Virginia to confront a town gripped by AIDS paranoia because a gay man living in the town had HIV. Winfrey interviewed the man who had become a social outcast, the town's mayor who drained the swimming pool because the man had gone swimming, and debated the town's hostile residents. "But I hear this is a God fearing town" Winfrey scolded the homophobic studio audience, "where's all that Christian love and understanding?" During a show on gay marriage in the 1990s, a woman in Winfrey's audience stood up to complain that gays were constantly flaunting their sex lives and she announced that she was tired of it. "You know what I'm tired of," replied Winfrey, "heterosexual males raping and sodomizing young girls. That's what I'm tired of." Her rebuttal inspired a screaming standing ovation from that show's mostly gay studio audience.

Guests included Neo Nazis, polygamous men and their partners, and Black and Jewish activists. By the fourth season, a show was dedicated to guests who claimed they had seen Elvis Presley alive in a variety of different locations throughout the country, with one man revealing to the host that he talked to the singer in his local Burger King. For an island of the Philippines, see Negros. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... “Elvis” redirects here. ... Burger King (often abbreviated to BK) is a large international chain of fast food restaurants, predominantly selling burgers, french fries, soft drinks, desserts, and various sandwiches. ...

Oprah's best friend, the former news anchor and talk show host Gayle King said during an A&E profile on Winfrey in 2003 that when they recently looked back at an episode list of the first six seasons, Oprah could not believe she used to host such provocative shows. With titles such as "I'm a Cross-Dresser" and "Priestly Sins", King believed the topics "didn't seem so sleazy" when Oprah did them. Gayle King (left) on the set of the Oprah Winfrey Show Gayle King (born in Chevy Chase, Maryland)(Best friend with Oprah for the money and life style) is editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine and is the best friend of Oprah Winfrey. ... Biography is one of A&Es longest-running and most popular programs. ...

Coming after Oprah

scholarly text about the post-Oprah era.

Soon many imitators began to appear, and by the time word spread that Winfrey had negotiated the most lucrative deal in television (a deal that would eventually make her the richest African American of the 20th century and the world's only black billionaire for three straight years), the industry exploded with copycats, each competing to be more edgy and provocative than the one before. In 1991, Jerry Springer debuted The Jerry Springer Show, Jenny Jones debuted The Jenny Jones Show, Maury Povich debuted The Maury Povich Show, and Montel Williams debuted The Montel Williams Show. In 1993, Ricki Lake debuted her own show. With the abundance of these new shows, each of them was forced to compete with each other for higher ratings and higher ad revenues. This led the shows to topics considered outrageous in an attempt to keep viewers tuned in. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Oprah Winfrey, the worlds only black billionaire for three straight years. ... This article is about Jerry Springer himself. ... The Jerry Springer Show is an internationally known American television tabloid talk show, hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician. ... A then-unknown Jenny Jones on Press Your Luck. ... The Jenny Jones Show was an American syndicated daytime tabloid talk show that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones. ... Maurice Richard Maury Povich (born January 17, 1939 in Washington, D.C.) is an American TV talk show personality who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury which has earned him national recognition due to the paternity tests that are often aired. ... Maury is a talk show hosted by Maury Povich. ... Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American television talk show host. ... Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956) is an American television talk-show host. ... Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American actress and tabloid talk show host, perhaps best known for her long-running Ricki Lake talk show and starring in the original version of the film Hairspray. ... Ricki Lake was a daytime talk show hosted by U.S. actress Ricki Lake. ...

Trash TV

One of the earliest of the post-Oprah shows was Geraldo, which was oriented toward controversial guests and theatricality - one of the early shows was titled "Men in Lace Panties and the Women Who Love Them". Geraldo Rivera's nose was broken in a well-publicized brawl during a 1988 show, involving racist skinheads, anti-racist skinheads, and black and Jewish activists.^[5] This incident led to Newsweek's characterization of his show as "Trash TV". The term Trash TV was applied to tabloid talk shows at their most extreme. Some of the programs listed here have proudly accepted the "trash" label, such as The Jerry Springer Show, while others like Jenny Jones resent the statement. For the British bandleader see Gerald Bright Gerald Michael Riviera[1] (born July 4, 1943), known by his TV name Geraldo Rivera or simply Geraldo, is an American television journalist, attorney, and former talk show host. ... For the British bandleader see Gerald Bright Gerald Michael Riviera[1] (born July 4, 1943), known by his TV name Geraldo Rivera or simply Geraldo, is an American television journalist, attorney, and former talk show host. ... Nazi-Skinheads are a right wing subculture that developed in the United Kingdom in the first half of the 1980s. ... Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP) are anti-racist skinheads who oppose neo-Nazis and other political racists, especially if those racists call themselves skinheads. ... Though most indigenous Africans possess relatively dark skin, they exhibit much variation in physical appearance. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... A WNYW-TV full screen segment intro from 2005. ...

One of the most extreme hosts was former singer and radio talk host Morton Downey, Jr. would take Donahue's casual dismissiveness and transform it to open hostility directed towards his guests in the form of blowing cigarette smoke in their faces, shouting his catch phrase "Zip it!" at them, and occasionally ejecting them from the set. Though it was aired at night, and ostensibly dealt with serious political and social issues, The Morton Downey, Jr. Show was a pioneer in the Trash TV subgenre; and its foul language, violent in-studio fights, and extremely dysfunctional guests lead to it becoming one of the most successful television talk shows of its time. Morton Downey, Jr. ... Two unlit filtered cigarettes. ... Morton Downey, Jr. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ...

In 1987, Rivera hosted the first of a series of special reports in prime time dealing with an alleged epidemic of Satanic ritual abuse. He stated: "Estimates are that there are over one million Satanists in this country ... The majority of them are linked in a highly organized, very secretive network. From small towns to large cities, they have attracted police and FBI attention to their Satanic ritual sexual child abuse, child pornography and grisly Satanic murders. The odds are that this is happening in your town." Subsequent to the programs, there were outbreaks of Satanic hysteria in various American cities. Satanism Associated organizations The Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Might is Right Books and publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devils Notebook... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Child pornography refers to pornographic material depicting children. ...

He was noted for self-promotion and for inserting himself into stories: he twice had plastic surgery on his program, and his autobiography Exposing Myself caused headlines in 1991 by discussing his sexual dalliances, which included encounters with Bette Midler and Margaret Trudeau. He was the son-in-law of author Kurt Vonnegut, while married to Edith Vonnegut. Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Margaret Sinclair Trudeau Kemper (born September 10, 1948) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is the former wife of the late Pierre Trudeau, the 15th Prime Minister of Canada. ... Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... Edith Vonnegut is an artist. ...

Ricki Lake hit the scene as the youngest talk show host in the genre, and her show targeted a young and urban demographic. A typical show might present several lower middle class women, each claiming to be "All that" (the show's catchphrase for someone with high fashion, personality, and sex appeal), with others debating the assertion. Other shows would present someone in an obviously bad relationship and have Lake recommend, "Dump that zero and get yoself a hero." Once Lake became a mother, family oriented shows became more common. Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American actress and tabloid talk show host, perhaps best known for her long-running Ricki Lake talk show and starring in the original version of the film Hairspray. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ...

Lake's talk show was a frequent target for satire. It was repeatedly parodied during the 1990s on Saturday Night Live, with male cast member Jay Mohr impersonating Lake in drag. The show was also parodied fleetingly on Family Guy where a guest on the show was quoted to have said, "Yo, Ricki, that's my girlfriend. She ain't supposed to be havin' no penis!". In addition, Lakes's show was referenced in the chorus of the hit 1998 song "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" by The Offspring: "So if you don't rate, just overcompensate, at least you know you can always go on Ricki Lake." This article is about the American television series. ... Jay Mohr Jay Mohr (born August 23, 1970) is a Caucasian American actor and stand-up comedian. ... Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... Alternate covers Alternate CD single cover Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) is a single, released by The Offspring, from their 1998 album Americana. ... For other uses, see Offspring (disambiguation). ...

The The Jerry Springer Show would gain a reputation as the most confrontational and sexually explicit, with stories of lurid trysts - often between family members, and with stripping guests and audience members. Although the show started as a politically-oriented talk show, the search for higher ratings in an extremely competitive market led Springer to topics often described as tawdry and provocative, increasing its viewership in the process. Topics included partners admitting their adultery to each other, women or men admitting to their partners that they were post-op-transexuals, paternity test shows, numerous features on the Ku Klux Klan and other hate based groups, and an exposee of shock rock featuring El Duce from The Mentors and an appearance from GWAR. By this point, the hostility and simmering violence had been turned into a ritual. Feuding family members would come out on stage, wigs invariably got knocked loose and clothing got torn, but stage security guard Steve would separate the combatants before the action got too violent. The Jerry Springer Show is an internationally known American television tabloid talk show, hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician. ... Courtship (sometimes called dating or going steady) is the process of selecting and attracting a mate for marriage or sexual intercourse. ... A transsexual (sometimes transexual) person establishes a permanent identity with the opposite gender to their assigned sex. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Racism is the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... Shock rock is a very wide umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances. ... El Duce was the nickname of Eldon Hoke, drummer and lead singer for The Mentors. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... GWAR is a satirical thrash metal and shock rock band formed in 1985. ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... This article is about the person. ...

Though frequently criticized, Springer claimed that he had no creative control over the guests. If they were making up their story just to get their 15 minutes of fame, he and his producers knew nothing about it. He even dedicated a portion of one of his shows to showing outtakes, in which he caught a lesbian couple lying about their affair. 15 minutes of fame (or famous for 15 minutes) is an expression coined by the American artist Andy Warhol. ...

Characteristics

The wave of trash TV shows from the 1990s brought many new characteristics to the subgenre. These characteristics include frequent obscenities, controversial guests, and in-studio fighting. Topics are always more provocative, disgusting, and offensive than those of typical talk shows. For example, most trash TV shows include a wide variety of topics, including extramarital affairs, paternity test results, rebellious teenagers who are then sent off to boot camp, bestiality, incest, strange fetishes, the Ku Klux Klan, racism, marital jealousy, sexism, lesbianism, and adult movie stars. Guests are often 'trash' themselves, embodying negative stereotypes of white trash, trailer trash, or of low-class African Americans. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Look up Bestiality in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Incest is sexual activity between two persons related by close kinship. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Racism is the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... This box:      The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex... A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. ... Porn redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Trailer trash (or trailer park trash) is a derogatory North American English term for people who live in trailers or mobile homes, especially in trailer parks. ...

The Jerry Springer Show is noted for being one of the trashiest shows of the genre and epitomizing the trash TV show, and indeed proudly proclaims itself as the worst television show in history, quoting a TV Guide review of the show. Morning radio personality Howard Stern, while rejecting the often applied label of "shock jock", also incorporates many of these aspects in the televised versions of his daily radio show. The Jerry Springer Show is an internationally known American television tabloid talk show, hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician. ... TV Guide is the name of two North American weekly magazines about television programming, one in the United States and one in Canada. ... This article is a biography of Howard Stern as an individual; for information regarding his radio show see The Howard Stern Show. ... A shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of radio broadcaster (sometimes a disk jockey) who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. ...

The label of "trash" has also been applied to various reality television series that featured sexual encounters between participants (i.e. Big Brother) and contest shows like Fear Factor that included contestants consuming or immersed in disgusting substances (insects, animal parts, etc.). Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors. ... Big Brother is a popular reality television format, where, over 10 weeks or so, a number of contestants (typically 10 or 12) try to avoid periodic publicly-voted evictions from a communal house and hence win a cash prize. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera...

Trash television in Europe

While American talk shows like Jerry Springer (as well as homegrown European imitations) are widely syndicated and popular throughout Europe, the daytime television initially labeled as "Trash TV" often featured an erotic element not seen on American television, such as Germany's RTL Network, which became well-known in the 1990s for such fare as the game show Tutti Frutti with its topless female chorus and stripping contestants, and Peep!, an erotic anthology series. In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... Eroticism is an aesthetic focused on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. ... RTL (formerly RTL plus) is a large German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial) in larger population centers. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... “Quiz show” redirects here. ... Nudity is a common subject both in fine arts and popular culture. ... For other uses, see Striptease (disambiguation). ...

Annita Pania is the longest living representative of Trash TV in Greece The unique sarcastic gaze of Pania. ...

• Trash TV Arrives in Finland - by Anne-Riitta Isohella (Helsingin Sanomat - April 9, 2002)
• Trash TV by Graham Keeley, a report on telebasura in Spain
• Trash TV in Germany

Helsingin Sanomat is the biggest subscription newspaper in Finland. ...

End of an era

By the early 2000s, the genre began to decline in popularity with viewing audiences, and certain hosts either saw their shows cancelled due to low ratings (i.e. Jenny Jones and Sally Jesse Raphaël) or voluntarily ended their shows to pursue other interests, such as Ricki Lake. Many media analysts have attributed the decline in popularity of tabloid talk shows and daytime talk in general to competition from cable as well as the presumption that viewers were tiring of the constant recycling of subjects that are often shown on such programs. Another explanation would be that the same audience shifted directly over to the new "Reality" TV genre that rose to prominence at around the same time. As early as the late 1990s, hosts such as Oprah Winfrey, and to a lesser extent Montel Williams, began to distance their programs from the genre by refocusing them to more serious subject matters or staying onstage like more traditional talk shows. Another example of this trend was Geraldo Rivera ending his show in 1998 to focus on his CNBC News program full time. Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes of real life people (as opposed to fictional characters played by actors) are followed. ... This article is about CNBC U.S., the business news channel in the U.S.. For other uses, see CNBC (disambiguation). ...

The Phil Donahue Show, seen by many as originating the genre, was cancelled in 1996 when it could not compete with the new crop of shows. Donahue and Rivera would attempt to re-establish their journalistic credentials on cable television: Donahue with a short-lived talk show on MSNBC, and Rivera filing reports on CNBC, NBC, and Fox News Channel. Maury Povich began hosting a weekend news show in 2006 with wife Connie Chung on MSNBC while still hosting his daytime show. Weekends with Maury and Connie was cancelled after six months, due to low ratings and being panned by many of the same critics who criticized his daytime talk show. Jerry Springer, while continuing to host his televised "freak show", also hosts a more serious talk show on Air America radio. The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, was the first tabloid talk show. ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... This article is about CNBC U.S., the business news channel in the U.S.. For other uses, see CNBC (disambiguation). ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... “Fox News” redirects here. ... Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born August 20, 1946) is an American journalist who has appeared on many USA television news networks. ... Weekends with Maury and Connie is a fun take on news of the week. ... For other uses of this word, see Freakshow (disambiguation). ... Air America Pilots Cap Air America was an American passenger and cargo airline covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). ...

Influence

In the scholarly text Freaks Talk Back^[6], Yale sociology professor Joshua Gamson credits the tabloid talk show genre with providing much needed high impact media visibility for gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, and transgender people and doing more to make them mainstream and socially acceptable than any other development of the 20th century. In the book's editorial review Michael Bronski wrote "In the recent past, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered people had almost no presence on television. With the invention and propagation of tabloid talk shows such as Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Oprah, and Geraldo, people outside the sexual mainstream now appear in living rooms across America almost every day of the week."^[7] YALE (Yet Another Learning Environment) is an environment for machine learning experiments and data mining. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Bisexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by romantic love or sexual desire for members of either or both genders, contrasted with homosexuality, heterosexuality, and asexuality. ... A transsexual (sometimes transexual) person establishes a permanent identity with the opposite gender to their assigned (usually at birth) sex. ... A transgender person in New York Citys Gay Pride Parade Transgender (IPA: , from trans (Latin) and gender (English) ) is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies that diverge from the normative gender role (woman or man) commonly, but not always, assigned at... This article is about Jerry Springer himself. ... A then-unknown Jenny Jones on Press Your Luck. ... The Oprah Winfrey Show is the longest-running daytime television talk show in the United States, and is hosted, produced and owned by Oprah Winfrey. ... Two people have been known by the pseudonym Geraldo: Gerald Bright, British dance-band leader Geraldo Rivera, American television journalist Category: ...

Gamson credits the tabloid talk show fad with making alternative sexual orientations and identities more acceptable in mainstream society. Examples include a recent Time magazine article describing early 21st century gays coming out of the closet younger and younger and gay suicide rates plummeting. Gamson also believes that tabloid talk shows caused gays to be embraced on more traditional forms of media. Examples include sitcoms like Will & Grace, primetime shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and feature films like the Oscar-nominated Brokeback Mountain. Will & Grace is a popular Emmy Award winning and Golden Globe nominated American television sitcom that was originally broadcast from 1998 to 2006. ... Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is an hour-long American television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network on July 15, 2003, and promptly became both a surprise hit (at least by the standards of cable TV) and one of the most talked-about television programs of... This article is about the motion picture. ...

While having changed with the times from her tabloid talk show roots, Winfrey continues to include gay guests by using her show to promote openly gay personalities like her hairdresser, makeup artist, and decorator Nate Berkus who inspired an outpouring of sympathy from middle America after grieving the loss of his partner in the 2004 tsunami on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey's "therapeutic" hosting style and the tabloid talk show genre has been credited or blamed for leading the media counterculture of the 1980s and 1990s which some believe broke 20th century taboos, led to America's self-help obsession, and created confession culture. The Wall Street Journal coined the term "Oprahfication" which means public confession as a form of therapy and Time magazine named Winfrey one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Nate Berkus (born September 17, 1971) is an American interior designer and decorator. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Sociologist Vicki Abt criticised tabloid talk shows for redefining social norms. In her book Coming After Oprah: Cultural Fallout in the Age of the TV talk show, Abt warned that the media revolution that followed Oprah's success was blurring the lines between normal and deviant behavior. TV critic Jeff Jarvis agreed saying "Oprah was the one that trashed daytime TV. She took the Donahue format and then brought on the whiny misfits and losers and screamers and shouters, and then everyone, including Donahue, followed her, until it went overboard. Then finally she came back and recanted and said, no, no, now I'm the queen of quality on TV."^[8] Jeff Jarvis (born 1954) is an American journalist. ...

Talk shows were often spoofed in mainstream media, with Night Stand with Dick Dietrick one of the full length spoofs of the medium (complete with fake guests and audience members asking questions). Night Stand with Dick Dietrick was a spoof on daytime talk shows (Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, etc. ...

Controversy

On an episode of The Jenny Jones Show called "Same-Sex Secret Crushes" taped on March 6, 1995, a gay man named Scott Amedure confessed his love for his friend, Jonathan Schmitz. Schmitz reacted with laughter while on the show, but became disturbed by the incident later. He had a history of mental illness and alcohol/drug abuse. Three days after the show's taping, Schmitz killed Amedure. Schmitz was later convicted of second degree murder and received 25-50 years in prison. The episode was never aired. The Jenny Jones Show was an American syndicated daytime tabloid talk show that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Scott Amedure Scott Bernard Amedure (January 26, 1963 – March 9, 1995) was an American man who became known after being murdered for revealing his homosexual attraction to his friend Jonathan Schmitz on The Jenny Jones Show. ... Jonathan Schmitz is a convicted murderer who, in 1999, was sentenced to prison for 25-50 years. ... A mental illness or mental disorder refers to one of many mental health conditions characterized by distress, impaired cognitive functioning, atypical behavior, emotional dysregulation, and/or maladaptive behavior. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... Comparison of the perceived harm for various psychoactive drugs from a poll among medical psychiatrists specialized in addiction treatment[1] This article is an overview of the nontherapeutic use of alcohol and drugs of abuse. ... Murder is both a legal and a moral term, that are not always coincident. ...

Amedure's family then sued the producers of The Jenny Jones Show saying they should have known about Schmitz's mental illness history. In interviews, Jones said her producers told Schmitz that his admirer could be a male, but Schmitz maintained they misled him into thinking it would be a woman. While under oath, Jones admitted that the show didn't want Schmitz to know that his admirer was a man. Amedure's family won the initial ruling and the show was ordered to pay them $25 million. The verdict was later overturned by the Michigan appellate court. The case is now studied in law school tort classes because of the legal significance of saying the show's producers were not responsible for guests' safety after they had left the studio. Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Appeal. ... // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ... Not to be confused with torte, an iced cake. ...

Ratings for the Jenny Jones show declined in the years after the case and it was cancelled in 2003. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Donahue was also the subject of occassional controversy. In an episode dealing with transvestism, Donahue briefly wore a dress over his suit as a joke. Some critics complained that Donahue was sinking to level of his more tasteless competitors. Transvestism is literally the practice of cross-dressing, wearing the clothing of the opposite sex, and transvestite literally refers to a person who cross-dresses. ...

Oprah talks to Phil Donahue

For the September 2002 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine Oprah Winfrey interviewed Phil Donahue at his Manhattan Penthouse in what she described as a "full-circle" moment. "If there had been no Phil Donahue show, there would be no Oprah Winfrey show," she wrote in the article's introduction. "He was the first to acknowledge that women are interested in more than masscara tips and cake recipes-that we're intelligent, we're concerned about the world around us, and we want the best possible lives for ourselves." O, The Oprah Magazine, sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine for women founded by Oprah Winfrey, who also serves as its editorial director. ...

In the interview Donahue explained that "the show became a place where women discussed issues that didn't naturally come up, and certainly not in mixed company. Much of what we talked about on the air is what women had been talking about in ladies' rooms." Donahue recalled that he finally had to do a show about Doctors who hate Donahue because for the first time women were challenging their physicians.

Donahue also discussed how hosting the show helped him overcome his own taboos. "I put a gay guy on in 1968-a real live homosexual sitting right next to me. I was terrified...I'm from Notre Dame. And believe me that's the one thing you didn't want to be doing at Notre Dame was hangin' with gay people...If you don't understand those feelings than you don't understand homophobia. There's a reason for the closet. As the years went by after that show, I got involved in gay politics, and through my activism, I began to realize what it must be like to be born, to live, and to die in the closet."

Donahue also commented on the new crop of tabloid talk shows: "I'm watching Jenny Jones-'One-Night Stand Reunions. First guest comes out...She says 'It was the most passionate, intimate, exciting night I've had in my life' The audience goes 'Oooh!' By now I'm canceling appointments to watch this, and Jenny Jones says 'Would you like to meet him?' The audience says, 'Yeah!' I thought, Me too...when they introduce the guy, he's 6 foot 4, he's gorgeous-and he's black. The audience goes, 'Whoooa!' And I thought, Well, shit-we never thought of that!"

When Winfrey reminded him "You started all this" he replied, "If that's what you think, I'm proud. What I'm most proud of is that we involved the audience more than anybody else in the game. People who owned the airwaves got to use them in this wild thing called democracy."

While both Winfrey and Donahue admitted to having done shows that were "naughty" both wondered if newer shows like Jerry Springer had crossed over into a whole different territory.

Reflecting on the genre as a whole Donahue added "If you want to know about America's culture in the last half of the 20th century, watch some of these programs."

Tabloid talk shows in the United Kingdom

Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. This article has been tagged since April 2007.

British trash TV shows are largely similar to their American counterparts, albeit more tame as most hosts get involved more with guests, rather than taking an apathetic attitude in a fashion similar to Jerry Springer and usually the audience is not as involved. Jeremy Kyle, for example, is known for his confrontational attitude towards those on the programme, while others like Trisha Goddard are more pacifist. Springer himself did a series on ITV as The Jerry Springer Show. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Trisha Goddard (born 23 December 1957) is an English television presenter well known for morning talk show Trisha Goddard which is aired on five. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting...

Vanessa Feltz's programme The Vanessa Show was infamously cancelled by the BBC as a result of some of the partcipants being actors from an agency, although it was known previously for outlandish stories similar to the American shows. Vanessa Feltz (born February 21, 1962) is an English journalist and broadcaster. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

List of tabloid talk shows and trash TV

• Geraldo (1987 - 1998), hosted by Geraldo Rivera, a.k.a. The Geraldo Rivera Show
• The Jenny Jones Show (1991 - 2003), hosted by Jenny Jones
• The Jerry Springer Show (1991 - Present), hosted by Jerry Springer
• Maury (1991 - Present), hosted by Maury Povich, a.k.a. The Maury Povich Show
• The Montel Williams Show (1991 - Present), hosted by Montel Williams
• The Morton Downey, Jr. Show (1987-1989), hosted by Morton Downey, Jr.
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986 - Present), hosted by Oprah Winfrey, a.k.a. Oprah Shows produced from the late 1990s onward are more toned down than earlier shows.
• The Phil Donahue Show (1970 - 1996), hosted by Phil Donahue, a.k.a. Donahue
• Ricki Lake (1993 - 2004), hosted by Ricki Lake
• Sally Jessy Raphael (1985 - 2002, hosted by Sally Jessy Raphael, a.k.a. Sally
• The Richard Bey Show (1990 -1996), hosted by Richard Bey
• The Steve Wilkos Show (Fall 2007 - ????), hosted by Steve Wilkos.

This is a list of television-related events in 1987. ... The year 1998 in television involved some significant events. ... For the British bandleader see Gerald Bright Gerald Michael Riviera[1] (born July 4, 1943), known by his TV name Geraldo Rivera or simply Geraldo, is an American television journalist, attorney, and former talk show host. ... The Jenny Jones Show was an American syndicated daytime tabloid talk show that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones. ... The year 1991 in television involved some significant events. ... This is a list of television-related events in 2003. ... A then-unknown Jenny Jones on Press Your Luck. ... The Jerry Springer Show is an internationally known American television tabloid talk show, hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician. ... The year 1991 in television involved some significant events. ... This article is about Jerry Springer himself. ... Maury can mean: Maury, Pyrénées-Orientales, a town in France. ... The year 1991 in television involved some significant events. ... Maurice Richard Maury Povich (born January 17, 1939 in Washington, D.C.) is an American TV talk show personality who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury which has earned him national recognition due to the paternity tests that are often aired. ... Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956) is an American television talk-show host. ... The year 1991 in television involved some significant events. ... Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American television talk show host. ... Morton Downey, Jr. ... The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah) is an American nationally syndicated talk show, hosted and produced by Oprah Winfrey and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history. ... The year 1986 in television involved some significant events. ... Oprah Winfrey, (born January 29, 1954) is a multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest rated talk show in television history. ... The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, was the first tabloid talk show. ... See also: 1969 in television, other events of 1970, 1971 in television and the list of years in television. For the American network television schedule, please see 1970-71 American network television schedule. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1996. ... Phil Donahue Phillip John Donahue (b. ... Ricki Lake was a daytime talk show hosted by U.S. actress Ricki Lake. ... The year 1993 in television involved some significant events. ... The year 2004 in television involved some significant events. ... Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American actress and tabloid talk show host, perhaps best known for her long-running Ricki Lake talk show and starring in the original version of the film Hairspray. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1985. ... The year 2002 in television involved some significant events. ... Sally Jessy Raphaël (born Sally Lowenthal on February 25, 1935 in Easton, Pennsylvania) is an American talk show host and television presenter. ... The year 1990 in television involved some significant events. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1996. ... Richard Bey (born July 22, 1951) was a popular talk show host in the 1990s, hosting The Richard Bey Show, a daytime talk show that was arguably groundbreaking in its use of fights and gags of dubious taste for entertainment, a premise used by talk and reality shows today. ... Steve Wilkos is a upcoming television talk show that is hosted by the former director of security on The Jerry Springer Show, Steve Wilkos. ... The year 2007 in television involves some significant events. ... This article is about the person. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/l/x/lxm7/oprah.html
2. ^ http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/winfrey.html
3. ^ http://www.wordspy.com/words/Oprahization.asp
4. ^ http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/winfrey3.html
5. ^ http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0763020.html
6. ^ http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/280640.html
7. ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0226280659/
8. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/29/rs.01.html