The Jenny Jones Show
Encyclopedia
The Jenny Jones Show is an American
syndicated daytime tabloid talk show
that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones
. It was produced by Telepictures
and was distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution
. The show ran from September 1991 to September 2003 and was taped in Chicago at WMAQ-TV
studios.
was used. However, ratings were low the first two seasons, and by 1993
it began to move away from serious subjects and began to take on more unusual subjects and theme shows such as paternity tests, out-of-control teens (including shows in which they are sent to boot camp), confronting former bullies
(something Jones dealt with when she was young), makeover
s for people who had no sense of fashion or style, celebrity impersonators, talent contests (and at times, people who made it an obsession to enter them, especially parents of the children who enter the pageants/contests/shows), feuding neighbors
, strippers and secret crushes. The show would also feature regular live performances by bands of varying genres (notably pop
, punk
, rock
, hip-hop, and R&B), ranging from lesser known bands from the local Chicago area to more well known bands from around the USA and Canada. Many well known artists first appeared on Jenny Jones including Usher
, Ludacris
, Nelly
, and Three Six Mafia, who made their first national TV appearance on the show.
, which was also produced at WMAQ-TV
studios, although Jones claimed that her talk show was not as outrageous as Springer
's. Critics also believe that some of Jones' ideas were copied from fellow talker Ricki Lake
after her show, Ricki Lake
, debuted in 1993 and overtook her in the ratings. It was also rumored that when Rosie O'Donnell
started The Rosie O'Donnell Show
she and Jones had hostility toward each other despite the fact that both their shows were syndicated by Telepictures and both were friends with Lake (both even sent shout-outs to her show, albeit separately). Many of the themes also appear on Maury
, such as DNA testing and boot camp, but the guests on Jenny Jones were less contentious than those on Maury.
, a gay man
, confessed to his best friend Jonathan Schmitz, that he had a crush on him. Schmitz's response was mostly humorous as he laughed about that revelation in front of the audience. However, three days after the taping, Schmitz, allegedly upset over that incident, killed Amedure. After the murder made headlines, the producers decided not to air the show. However, the episode did air on Court TV
when the network was covering the trial. Clips of the episode were also featured in the HBO documentary, Talked to Death.
Schmitz's history of mental illness
and alcohol/drug abuse
came to light during the trial in which Schmitz was later convicted of second degree murder. He is currently serving a 25-50 year prison term.
Jones and the producers were later sued by Amedure's family for neglecting to find out Schmitz's history of mental illness and substance abuse. Jones testified under oath that the producers told Schmitz that his admirer could be a man, but Schmitz thought that the admirer was a woman. Jones also admitted that the show did not want Schmitz to know the outcome of his secret crush. Amedure's family won the ruling and the show was ordered to pay $25 million, but that decision was later overturned by the Michigan appellate court
because the producers were not responsible for what happened to the guests after their appearance on the show.
station group, although the subsequent station shuffle necessitated in such key markets as New York
, Chicago
and Los Angeles
didn't help the ratings erosion. In the 2002
-2003 TV season, Jones' program became the lowest-rated daytime talk show, and after the last original episode aired that spring, Jenny Jones was canceled in the summer of 2003
. Reruns continued to air until September 12, 2003.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
syndicated daytime tabloid talk show
Tabloid talk show
Tabloid talk shows are a genre of American television programming talk shows that achieved peak viewership during the late 20th century. Airing mostly during the day and distributed mostly through broadcast syndication, this genre originated with The Phil Donahue Show and was popularized by the...
that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones (presenter)
Jenny Jones is a former Canadian American stand-up comedian and talk show host. She hosted The Jenny Jones Show from 1991 to 2003.-Life and career:...
. It was produced by Telepictures
Telepictures
Telepictures is an American production company, currently operating as a label of Warner Bros. Television, with Hilary Estey McLoughlin currently serving as President...
and was distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Warner Bros. Television Distribution is an American television distribution arm of Warner Bros. Television, itself a part of Time Warner formed circa 1960. In 1989, the studio formed Warner Bros...
. The show ran from September 1991 to September 2003 and was taped in Chicago at WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
studios.
Format
When the series began, a traditional talk show format reminiscent of OprahThe Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
was used. However, ratings were low the first two seasons, and by 1993
1993 in television
The year 1993 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1993.For the American TV schedule, see: 1993-94 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
it began to move away from serious subjects and began to take on more unusual subjects and theme shows such as paternity tests, out-of-control teens (including shows in which they are sent to boot camp), confronting former bullies
Bullies
Bullies is a 1986 Canadian action-drama film about a feud between two families in a small town in a similar vein to the story of Romeo and Juliet...
(something Jones dealt with when she was young), makeover
Makeover
A makeover is a term applied to changing one's appearance, sometimes through cosmetics. Makeovers can range from something as simple as a new haircut, to the use of cosmetic surgery, to the extreme of the implantation of dental veneers, eye-color-changing contact lenses, and the use of...
s for people who had no sense of fashion or style, celebrity impersonators, talent contests (and at times, people who made it an obsession to enter them, especially parents of the children who enter the pageants/contests/shows), feuding neighbors
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
, strippers and secret crushes. The show would also feature regular live performances by bands of varying genres (notably pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, hip-hop, and R&B), ranging from lesser known bands from the local Chicago area to more well known bands from around the USA and Canada. Many well known artists first appeared on Jenny Jones including Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, and Three Six Mafia, who made their first national TV appearance on the show.
Comparisons
During its run, critics would equate this show to The Jerry Springer ShowThe Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
, which was also produced at WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
studios, although Jones claimed that her talk show was not as outrageous as Springer
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
's. Critics also believe that some of Jones' ideas were copied from fellow talker Ricki Lake
Ricki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake is an American actress, producer, and television host. She is best known for her starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray, her ground-breaking documentary film The Business of Being Born, and her talk show which was broadcasted internationally from...
after her show, Ricki Lake
Ricki Lake (talk show)
Ricki Lake was the first daytime tabloid talk show hosted by American actress Ricki Lake.The show specialized in sensationalist topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience...
, debuted in 1993 and overtook her in the ratings. It was also rumored that when Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
started The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
she and Jones had hostility toward each other despite the fact that both their shows were syndicated by Telepictures and both were friends with Lake (both even sent shout-outs to her show, albeit separately). Many of the themes also appear on Maury
Maury (TV series)
Maury is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich.When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television...
, such as DNA testing and boot camp, but the guests on Jenny Jones were less contentious than those on Maury.
Outrageous titles
Subject titles were over the top, usually in rhyme, for example, "You May Shake It for Money, But Leave Those Sexy Clothes at the Club, Honey!" to describe a sexy makeover show for women whose occupations involve working in nightclubs or strip clubs. The rhyming titles feature began with the show's third season.Controversy
On March 6, 1995, Jenny Jones taped an episode called "Same Sex Secret Crushes" on which Scott AmedureScott Amedure
Scott Bernard Amedure was an American murder victim who was fatally shot after revealing on The Jenny Jones Show that he was attracted to an acquaintance. The acquaintance, Jonathan Schmitz–who had a long-standing history of mental illness–later shot Amedure and was found guilty of second degree...
, a gay man
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, confessed to his best friend Jonathan Schmitz, that he had a crush on him. Schmitz's response was mostly humorous as he laughed about that revelation in front of the audience. However, three days after the taping, Schmitz, allegedly upset over that incident, killed Amedure. After the murder made headlines, the producers decided not to air the show. However, the episode did air on Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
when the network was covering the trial. Clips of the episode were also featured in the HBO documentary, Talked to Death.
Schmitz's history of mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and alcohol/drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
came to light during the trial in which Schmitz was later convicted of second degree murder. He is currently serving a 25-50 year prison term.
Jones and the producers were later sued by Amedure's family for neglecting to find out Schmitz's history of mental illness and substance abuse. Jones testified under oath that the producers told Schmitz that his admirer could be a man, but Schmitz thought that the admirer was a woman. Jones also admitted that the show did not want Schmitz to know the outcome of his secret crush. Amedure's family won the ruling and the show was ordered to pay $25 million, but that decision was later overturned by the Michigan appellate court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
because the producers were not responsible for what happened to the guests after their appearance on the show.
Final years
By what turned out to be the final two seasons, the show began to drop heavily in the ratings. It nearly got the ax at the conclusion of season 11, but was saved by a last-minute deal with the TribuneTribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
station group, although the subsequent station shuffle necessitated in such key markets as New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
didn't help the ratings erosion. In the 2002
2002 in television
The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
-2003 TV season, Jones' program became the lowest-rated daytime talk show, and after the last original episode aired that spring, Jenny Jones was canceled in the summer of 2003
2003 in television
The year 2003 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2003.For the American TV schedule, see: 2003-04 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
. Reruns continued to air until September 12, 2003.
Cast of characters
The show also had an in-house cast of regulars, some of whom were originally guests before they became fan favorites:- Rude JudeRude JudeJude Anthony Angelini also known as Rude Jude is a DJ and co-host on The All Out Show with DJ Lord Sear on Sirius Satellite Radio's Shade 45 channel from 4pm-8pm EST. He is actually only on from 4-7pm M,T,W and on Thursday he plays his own mix from 7-8pm EST...
- Raymond Moses
- Tornado "Big Daddy WooWoo" (Comedian)
- Chela
- Valerie Mikita