TV Talkers Stir Up The Controversy Quiz

Answer: Phil Donahue

Donahue's talk show began locally in Dayton, Ohio in 1967. Three years later "The Phil Donahue Show" went into national syndication and was a daytime fixture until 1996 making it the longest continuously running syndicated talk show in US history at the time. Donahue generally maintained a mild-mannered approach to celebrity interviews and current events while much of his competition switched to screeching controversy. Phil's aversion to the tabloid approach plus his voiced opposition to the first Gulf War cost him ratings and some important affiliates in 1995 and a year later Donahue's record setting run ended.

Answer: Thumbing his nose at them

From 1987 through 1989 Downey was never content to sit back and let his guests shout at one another but was always an active participant. He reveled in his nickname, "The Mouth", while his loyal audience referred to themselves as "Loudmouths". Al Sharpton, Jane Fonda, Roy Cohn and Don King all appeared as guests as did members of the KKK and the famous "Stripper For God".

After only two memorable seasons, with sponsors not wishing to be associated with the screaming and name calling, the number of stations airing Downey's show dropped and it was cancelled.

Answer: Sally Jessy Raphael

"The Sally Jessy Raphael Show", later known as "Sally", began airing as a local St. Louis show but quickly went into national syndication in 1983, three years before Oprah Winfrey. Early in its run, "Sally" stayed with relatively tame topics but quickly moved into stomach churning stories such as "I'm Standing By My Criminal Man", "Teens Confront Cheating Parents" and the memorable "You Tormented And Teased Me, Look At Me Now". "Sally" was one of the first talk shows to introduce paternity tests as a topic for discussion.

Her highest ratings, though, came for a show about women with large breasts.

Answer: Geraldo Rivera

Early in his second season Rivera and his producers decided it would be a good idea to have white supremacists, skinheads, African-American activists, and Jewish activists on stage at the same time for a discussion. Predictably, the debate got out of hand and a flying chair caught Geraldo in the face, breaking his nose.

This episode, along with the first season classic "Men In Lace Panties And The Women Who Love Them", solidified Rivera's hold as one of the kings of Trash TV. As ratings declined after several years the show changed its signature "Geraldo" name to "The Geraldo Rivera Show" and took on a tamer, more measured approach but the ratings never recovered.

After a ten year run the show was cancelled.

Answer: Jenny Jones

The teens who were out of control were usually girls whose loss of control involved sexual activity. "The Jenny Jones Show" may hold the title for the best named episode in Trash TV history. "You May Shake It For Money, But Leave Those Sexy Clothes At The Club, Honey!" was a makeover show for women whose occupations involved working in nightclubs or strip clubs.

Answer: Ricki Lake

In 1993, Lake took her acting background to the talk wars. Her show targeted a younger, more urban audience. Female guests often discussed their bad relationships. Lake advised them to "Dump that zero and get yourself a hero." "Ricki Lake" dealt frequently with LGBT issues such as straight people attracted to gay people (and vice-versa).

The show's most controversial episode featured guest Reverend Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church who proclaimed that anyone with the HIV virus deserved to die.

After 11 seasons Lake's show left the air in 2004.

Answer: Maury Povich

Povich, who turned 80 in 2019, married Connie Chung. Following a common pattern for daytime talk shows, "The Maury Povich Show" aired starting in 1991 featuring fairly mild topics. Then, recast as "Maury" the show began providing viewers a diet of the Trash TV standards - paternity tests, polygraph tests and out of control teen girls.

A regular guest on "Maury", Trisha Goddard, aired her own "Trisha Goddard Show" as a spinoff from 2012 through 2014.

Answer: True

Phil McGraw is a clinical psychologist who was hired by Oprah in 1995 to appear on her show. His own show followed in 2002. "Dr. Phil" features the typical controversial talk show topics such as "Pregnant at 11", "I'm Worried My Daughter Might Turn into a Terrorist", "My African-American Daughter Believes She is White" and "Here Comes The Honey Boo Boo Scandal". In 2008, McGraw's show spun off "The Doctors", produced by his son, Jay.

Answer: The View

"The View" features a politically and demographically diverse panel of women who talk among themselves and interview guests on timely and controversial topics. In its first 22 seasons "The View" has had 22 hosts, almost half of them lasting for only one season.

The comings and goings of hosts (Star Jones and Rosie O'Donnell in particular) create almost as much controversy as the guest interviews. But the interviews do provide action, such as Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg walking off-stage during a segment with Bill O'Reily, and Raven Symone's diatribe about people with "ghetto" names. Through its self-made turmoil "The View" has had consistent high ratings, peaking in July 2010 when President Obama appeared as guest.

Answer: The Jerry Springer Show

Former newsman and politician Springer began hosting his syndicated free-for-all in 1991. Cancelled due to low ratings after 27 years, "The Jerry Springer Show" continues as reruns in many markets. Easily the most raucous of talk shows, few episodes didn't involve choreographed "fights" between guests. With its almost constant screaming and shouting, the Springer show averaged 85 to 130 audio "beeps" per episode according to the New York Times. Nudity and vulgar gestures were pixelated. With so much content blanked out many segments were virtually unintelligible. One of the show's more memorable, if less violent, episodes was "I'm Happy I Cut Off My Legs" featuring Sandra, a transsexual who cut off her own legs with a saw 6 years earlier because "she decided she no longer wanted them".