Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer | Knives Out
4/16/202627 min
When the scandal around Springer explodes into public view, he faces a reckoning in the city he has come to think of as his home. As Springer works to regain the trust of his community, where will he go next?
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First 90 secondsLeon Neyfakh· Host0:00
In 1977, an Ohio prosecutor named Cy Lease charged Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler, with violating obscenity laws. If you've seen The People vs. Larry Flynt, Lease was portrayed in a puzzling bit of stunt casting by Democratic strategist James Carville.
Speaker 1· Soundbite0:16
What you're about to see is going to take your breath away. Hustler Magazine depicts men and women posed together in a lewd and shameful manner.
Leon Neyfakh· Host0:31
Lease was the top prosecutor in Hamilton County, Ohio, for most of the '70s, and before he made national headlines for trying to take down a world famous pornographer, he distinguished himself by targeting a more local celebrity, Jerry Springer, a young, liberal city councilman whose progressive ideas seemed to be resonating with voters. Lease didn't like that.
Simon Leis Jr.· Guest0:55
Let's put it this way. I've been elected 10 times in Hamilton County, and my philosophy, I'm very, very, very, very conservative.
Leon Neyfakh· Host1:04
Simon Lease Jr. has worn many hats in Cincinnati over the years. He's been a judge, a sheriff, and a federal prosecutor.
Simon Leis Jr.· Guest1:12
Well, I'm 90 years old. When you're 90 years old, you've more than lived a full life.
Leon Neyfakh· Host1:18
For all of Lease's achievements, serving as the Hamilton County prosecutor in the '70s seems to have been a highlight of his career.
Simon Leis Jr.· Guest1:25
You have the power to enforce laws throughout the entire jurisdiction of Hamilton