Maury Povich is done with TV and he couldn’t be happier about it
LOS ANGELES — Inside a studio in Stamford, Connecticut, a man and a woman were at each other’s throats.
Tashima and her live-in boyfriend, Darnell, were battling after he accused her of infidelity during their three-year relationship, including sleeping with the mailman. Darnell’s claim that he was not really the father of their young son infuriated Tashima, who demanded he step up, be a parent to his child and “put a ring on it.”
“Look at him! Look at him! You know you lying!” Tashima screamed, gesturing to a large picture of the young boy and singling out his resemblance to Darnell. The only thing louder than the yelling was the gleeful reaction from the packed studio audience.
As the rage escalated, Maury Povich, host of the daytime series “Maury,” tried to calm the couple down, asking them about the future of their relationship. He then reached for a sealed envelope containing the results of a paternity test. The audience cheered with anticipation.
“When it comes to 3-year-old Andro,” announced Povich as he read the results, “Darnell — you are NOT the father!”
As the audience roared, Tashima sprinted off stage. “Oh my God. Oh my God. I can’t live like this!!” she howled as she collapsed backstage, pounding the floor in anguish as Povich and Darnell attempted to comfort her. “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere,” Darnell said, embracing his girlfriend.
Although one crisis was resolved, another one — and another — would be introduced after the commercial break. And in each instance Povich, with a mix of wisdom, authority and warmth, was the calm at the center of the storm, taking on the role of TV’s symbolic father figure, one he’s held for more than three decades.
Until now. The 83-year-old host, who announced earlier this year that he is finally bringing the curtain down on “Maury,” has opened his last envelope. Original episodes will cease to air when the current season comes to an end in September.
Povich, a former newsman and “A Current Affair” anchor, has outlasted a steady stream of competitors amid shifting viewer tastes to become the longest-running daytime talk show host in broadcast TV history. Premiering in 1991 as “The Maury Povich Show,” “Maury” has carved out its own distinctive niche as a circus of human drama starring outrageous characters and showcasing volcanic disputes among warring families, cheating lovers and deadbeat fathers.
The syndicated series has continued to be a solid performer, attracting a daily average of 1.2 million viewers. Povich’s signature catchphrase (“You are/are not the father”), theatrics, backstage tantrums and the “baby daddy dance” performed when participants are pleased with paternity test results have delighted fans and inspired countless GIFs. The show has also drawn fire from critics who say its images are exploitative and offensive.
“I have no more mountains to climb,” Povich told the L.A. Times as he relaxed in a Beverly Hills hotel suite on June 2. A few hours later, he would receive the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award from the National Association of Television Programming Executives. Presenting him with the honor was his wife, famed TV journalist and former CBS News anchor Connie Chung.
While many might label “Maury” as lowbrow and disposable, Povich is undeniably proud of the show: “I was able to get as close and intimate with my guests, my audience and my viewers as anyone who has done this type of show. I appreciate the faith and trust they had in me.”
The show also fulfilled his life’s ambitions: to tell stories and help people. “Every single story deserves attention, and I search for the unique quality in that story,” he said. “I’ve always been a good reader of people and getting to the heart of what’s most important about them.”
He quipped that viewers will not really get a chance to miss him. The series, which counts 3,600 episodes, has already been sold in repeats. “My viewers will continue to see me for a long, long time.”
As he reflected on his career and the success of “Maury,” Povich projected the same good-humored geniality that is on display during his show. He continues to be gratified (and surprised) at the series’ longevity, saying, “the great part is when people come up to me and say, ‘I watched you as a kid. I watched you as a grown-up, and now my kids and grandkids are watching you. It’s down to three generations.’”
He is the last survivor of the tabloid-flavored daytime talk show era that hit its stride during the 1980s and 1990s and was dominated by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Geraldo Rivera, Jenny Jones, Jerry Springer, Sally Jesse Raphael and others.
“Since this show started in 1991, there are 75 daytime talk shows in the graveyard,” Povich said. “That’s how difficult daytime talk is. And it gets more difficult every year because the audience is shrinking.”
He is also amused by how pop culture has appropriated some of the show’s over-the-top elements. “There are so many GIFs out there. And when I see a Christmas card that says, ‘Joseph, you are not the father...’” Povich’s sentence ends with a shrug and a chuckle.
While acknowledging the over-the-top formula of his show, Povich said there is a deeper purpose to “Maury.”
“Yes, there are some theatrics, and I accept it because I have a goal in mind,” he said. “I’ll take it because I’m looking for the truth. If I can prove someone is the father of this child, that child will have a better chance in life with two people, two parents.”
He went on: “I’ve had these critics over the years say I’m exploiting these people, taking advantage of them. They can take that tack. But I feel there’s a [greater] good. And I prove that. I bring these guests back 15 years later and find out that the guy did get into the kid’s life, got together with the mother and they had more kids and the child ended up with a good job.” The daytime host added: “There are a lot of good endings with these stories. I’m not saying it’s the majority of them. But a significant amount shows that the stories and results have been helpful.”
