Jerry Springer was often associated with hosting the ‘worst TV show of all time’, but beyond the spotlight, he demonstrated care and thoughtfulness towards his guests, going the extra mile to assist those in need.
One person who can attest to this is former guest Zach Strenkert who appeared on the infamous program as a baby with his parents in 1996.
Nicknamed the ‘giant baby,’ his mom brought him on the show desperate to try and get him a diagnosis for his rare condition.
He would then go on to make another appearance as an adult in 2017.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com prior to the release of Netflix’s critical documentary Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, Zach commended the late host, affirming that Springer had truly made a positive impact on his life.
Zach also revealed that Springer regularly sent his parents baby gifts for him in the year that followed his first appearance.
‘Throughout my life there’s been a lot of stories passed down to me about how he really changed my life for the better,’ he said.
‘He was the one who finally provided my mom with the answer she had been desperately seeking. He was the only person who volunteered to connect her with a specialist to help me.
Zach Strenkert appeared on The Jerry Springer Show twice and credits the host with changing his life for the better
Springer regularly sent Zach’s parents baby gifts in the year that followed his first appearance on his talk show
‘And then, not only that, but after the fact, he took care of me. He kept sending me gifts for like over a year – like baby supplies, a giant hauling truck that could fit my body, and a huge baby carriage. He genuinely cared.’
Zach, who was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome, returned to The Jerry Springer Show when he was an adult in 2017.
Recalling his experience of coming face-to-face with the talk show host, he said: ‘It really tracked. When I met him in 2017, he was very much the same.’
‘In a moment that wasn’t shown, my mother was just full-on crying and Jerry was also tearful, and they had such a tight embrace,’ he remembered.
‘They hug, and she thanks him so much. She finally got to give her thanks and so did.
‘I shook his hand and told him how much it meant to me and how much it meant to my mom, how much it changed my life.’
‘I feel like both Jerry and my mother help propel each other forward in ways I didn’t know they need,’ Zach added.
‘It let my mom go at ease. She was able to rest. She was very tireless. You know, she gave her body, mind and soul to trying to find me an answer.’
Zach’s mom brought him on The Jerry Springer Show in search for answers about his size
It turned out Zach had Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS), which is described by the National Institutes of Health as an overgrowth disorder that sees people with the condition grow and gain weight at an unusual rate
The Jerry Springer Show ran for 27 seasons from 1991 to 2018.
Springer died of pancreatic cancer on April 27, 2023.
Zach’s testimony comes as Netflix prepares to air a damning two-part documentary titled Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action.
The upcoming series is set to explore The Jerry Springer show’s origins and meteoric rise.
It will also showcase testimony and revelations from show insiders who lay bare the dark truths behind its entertaining façade.
‘I think that people have a right to tell their stories however they may be,’ Zach said of the series.
‘I think that people are complex. One man’s friend can be another person’s nightmare. Who am I to say?’
‘I got a very good impression of him as a person,’ Zach added. ‘It was life changing it really was. I don’t know how I would have turned out otherwise.’
Three years after his last appearance on The Jerry Springer Show, Zach decided to take charge and overhaul his life.
Zach returned to The Jerry Springer Show in 2017
Zach was able to thank Springer in person as an adult for helping to change his life
Beginning in lockdown, he embarked on an epic fitness journey which saw him shrink from 500lbs to 250lbs.
‘I realized how miserable I was without that potentially, it was an escape, and that’s why I poured so much of myself into it.
‘I realized I don’t want to be bed bound, and I certainly don’t want to die sooner than I need to.
‘It’s a miracle I can even walk. It’s a miracle that I’m alive. I shouldn’t take that for granted.
‘I remember how my dog was laying with me, and I took a picture of us, and I wasn’t happy with what I saw. I just wasn’t happy with anything, and we were living in poverty in the ghetto. It was hard.’
At first, Zach created a positive feedback loop for himself and set goals that he could easily beat.
It stated with five minutes of walking, but he’d keep going for 10 minutes, and so on and so forth.
But eventually, Zach went to extreme lengths to shift his weight and began fasting and exercising at a dangerous level.
Zach embarked on an epic fitness journey which saw him shrink from 500lbs to 250lbs
‘I fasted the whole day, until my family begged me to eat something in the evening,’ he recalled.
‘I wanted to be more aware of what I was doing with my body, so that was an important step for me, believe it or not.
‘And after that, it kind of helped me become more intuitive, more mindful in how I was approaching these things and I could just kind of build off of that foundation.
‘After that I would say that I was aiming for 1,200 calories, but realistically, I was only eating a few 100 calories, and then I would burn off like 1,000 plus calories every single day.’
These days though, Zach in is a much better place and has learned to balance. He’s also in the process of writing a self-help book to help others like him.
Looking back at just how far he’s gone, Zach wishes Springer could see him now and all that he’s achieved.
‘I wish I had the opportunity to shake his hand again and speak to him as the capable human, the adult that I’ve grown into, no longer hindered by my body,’ he said.
‘I’ve overcome so much in my life from that point. I’d say, in the past five years, I’ve completely changed.
‘I almost don’t recognize myself, and I wish he could have seen that.’
