PETER Kelly, also known by his nickname “Pistol Pete”, was the Head of Security on one of America’s trashiest shows – The Jerry Springer Show.
Peter featured in over 600 episodes – and now a Netflix documentary is revealing all about the infamous show.
Who is Peter Kelly?
Before he was dealing with rowdy guests and controlling bad tempers, Peter was a decorated police officer in Chicago for over 20 years.
As an officer, Peter earned several awards for his service in the line of duty.
These include the Award of Valor for bravery above and beyond the call of duty,
He was also given the Blue Star Award for being seriously wounded in the line of duty, the Lifesaving Award, and numerous Department Commendations.
Peter was born in Chicago and trained under some of the best acting coaches for many years.
He has also had roles in several other projects, including an appearance on Chicago P.D. and Unusual Suspects.
He’s also featured in high-profile movies, such as Transformers: Age Of Extinction, Contagion, and A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010).
When did Peter Kelly join The Jerry Springer Show?
Peter joined The Jerry Springer Show in 2007, and stayed there until 2013.
In that six year period, he shot 630 episodes of the show, where he acted as the Head of Security dealing with the misbehaving guests.
He has spoken of his experiences on the show, that saw him placed in between countless angry people who had just had their lives exposed on TV.
Peter told the New York Post in 2012 that his job was “to make sure they don’t seriously hurt each other or kill each other”.
What is the Jerry Springer documentary about?
A documentary, streaming on Netflix called Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, goes behind the scenes on the highly controversial show.
The two-episode special goes into some of the biggest scandals, both on and off-screen.
The doc also aims to dissect Jerry’s complicated legacy and what audiences didn’t see when he went in front of the camera.
Who was Jerry Springer?
Jerry Springer died on April 27, 2023, but he is credited as one of the pioneers of modern American “trash TV”.
He hosted the show from 1991 to 2018, and was also a broadcaster and journalist.
The Jerry Springer Show was initially pitched as a political show, but was revamped in 1994 to boost ratings.
The show became more successful as it became targeted toward tabloid sensationalism.
Regular individuals appearing on television were surprised by a family member revealing their infidelity, homosexuality, transgender identity, engaging in prostitution, cross-dressing, being part of a hate group, or other contentious situations.
These arguments were often promoted by scripted shouting or violence on stage.
As the host, Jerry was the mediator, but things often got out of hand on the stage.
Jerry also had his own show Judge Jerry which ran from 2019-2022.
Aside from his unique legacy, Jerry also worked in politics.
He worked as a political campaign adviser to Democrat Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 and in 1970 Jerry ran for the United States House of Representatives.
Although he lost, he did take 45% of the vote in a noted Republican district in Ohio.
He died from pancreatic cancer in 2023 and is survived by his daughter Katie Springer.
