Jerry Springer may have been known for directing the “worst TV show of all time,” but behind the scenes he was caring and considerate, and went out of his way to help his guests in need.
One person who can attest to this is former guest Zach Strenkert, who appeared on the famous show as a baby with his parents in 1996.
Nicknamed the ‘giant baby’, his mother brought him to the show desperate to try to get him a diagnosis for his rare condition.
He would then make another appearance as an adult in 2017.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com ahead of Netflix’s damning documentary Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, Zach praised the late TV presenter, insisting he really did change his life for the better.
Zach also revealed that Springer regularly sent baby gifts to his parents in the year following his first appearance.
“Throughout my life I have been given many stories about how he really changed my life for the better,” she said.
‘He was the person who finally gave my mom the answer she was so desperately looking for. He was the only person who offered to get me a specialist to work with me.
Zach Strenkert appeared twice on The Jerry Springer Show and credits the host with changing his life for the better.
Springer regularly sent baby gifts to Zach’s parents for the year following his first appearance on her talk show.
And then, not only that, but after the fact, he took care of me. He continued to send me gifts for over a year, including baby items, a giant transport truck that fit my body, and a huge baby stroller. He really cared.
Zach, who was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome, returned to The Jerry Springer Show as an adult in 2017.
Recalling her experience coming face to face with the talk show host, she said: “It really worked.” “When I met him in 2017, he was very similar.”
“At one point that wasn’t shown, my mom was crying and Jerry was crying too, and they hugged each other really tight,” she recalled.
‘They hug and she thanks him very much. Finally he was able to say thank you and he did too.
“I shook his hand and told him how much he meant to me and how much he meant to my mother, how much he changed my life.”
“I feel like both Jerry and my mom help each other move forward in ways I didn’t know they needed,” Zach added.
‘He let my mom feel comfortable. He was able to rest. She was very tireless. You know, she gave her body, mind and soul to try to find me an answer.
Zach’s mom took him to The Jerry Springer Show looking for answers about his size.
It turned out that Zach had Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS), described by the National Institutes of Health as an excessive growth disorder in which 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 will explore the origins and meteoric rise of the Jerry Springer show.
It will also feature testimonies and revelations from entertainment experts who expose the dark truths behind its entertaining façade.
“I think people have the right to tell their stories however they want,” Zach said of the series.
‘I think people are complex. One man’s friend can be another person’s nightmare. Who am I to say?
“I have a very good impression of him as a person,” Zach added. “It really changed my life. I don’t know what it would have been like otherwise.’
Three years after his last appearance on The Jerry Springer Show, Zach decided to take charge and reform his life.
Zach returned to The Jerry Springer Show in 2017
Zach was able to thank Springer in person as an adult for helping turn his life around.
He began his lockdown and embarked on an epic fitness journey that saw him reduce from 500 pounds to 250 pounds.
‘I realized how miserable I was without that potential, it was an escape, and that’s why I put so much of myself into it.
‘I realized that I don’t want to be bedridden and I certainly don’t want to die before I have to.
‘It’s a miracle I can even walk. It’s a miracle he’s alive. I shouldn’t take that for granted.
‘I remember my dog was lying down with me, I took a photo of us and I wasn’t happy with what I saw. I just wasn’t happy with anything and we lived in poverty in the ghetto. It was difficult.’
In the beginning, Zach created a positive feedback loop for himself and set goals that he could easily surpass.
It said five minutes of walking, but it would continue for 10 minutes, and so on.
But eventually, Zach did everything he could to change his weight and began fasting and exercising at a dangerous level.
Zach embarked on an epic fitness journey that saw him reduce from 500 pounds to 250 pounds.
“I fasted all day, until my family begged me to eat something at night,” 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 aware of how I approached these things and I was able to build from that foundation.
“After that, I would say my goal was to consume 1,200 calories, but realistically, I was only eating a few 100 calories and then burning over 1,000 calories each day.”
However, today Zach is in a much better place and has learned to maintain balance. He is also in the process of writing a self-help book to help others like him.
Thinking back on how far he’s come, Zach wishes Springer could see him now and see everything he’s accomplished.
“I wish I had the opportunity to shake his hand again and talk to him like the capable human being, the adult that I have become, who is no longer hindered by my body,” he said.
‘I have overcome many things in my life since that moment. I would say that in the last five years I have changed completely.
“I almost didn’t recognize myself and I wish he could have seen it.”