The Jerry Springer Show became notorious in the 1990s with its outrageous content and shocking episodes. One segment that stood out, however, was the segment dubbed “I Married a Horse.” Mark appeared on this particular episode and said he had left his wife and children for his Shetland pony, Pixel. It aired in May 1998, but it was so shocking that it only aired in the New York City metro area before being pulled from other markets for “glorifying bestiality.”
Toby Yoshimura, a producer for the show, remembers the surreal moment when the episode was pitched. He got a call from Mark at midnight telling him about the close connection between the pony and himself. They didn’t inform the crew initially but decided to do the shot. They managed to keep it strictly secret until the filming day, when audience members watched in a stunned manner unable to react to this weird scenario before them.
The episode brought massive backlash from critics, including Chicago Sun-Times media critic Robert Feder, who said it was “the most vile, grotesque freak show on television.” Executive producer Robert Dominick, however, defended the episode, labeling it the perfect show that encapsulated everything The Jerry Springer Show was supposed to be.
While the incident became the hot topic of the time, it was banned from most markets, and the controversy over bestiality made headlines across the country. Although the episode was criticized, the shock value became a part of the identity of the show, which symbolized its place in pushing the limits of American television.
The Netflix documentary Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action brings all this out into the light and gives insights into how these shows came to define the media landscape of the modern era.
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