Maury Povich
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Maurice "Maury" Richard Povich (born January 17, 1939 in Washington, D.C.) is an American TV talk show host who currently hosts the self-titled Maury.
The TV show is similar in content to The Jerry Springer Show, though without the violent confrontations, and often features explicit language on topics such as relationships, paternity tests, sexual infidelity, and boot camps for disobedient children. The most frequent segments are "Who's My Baby's Daddy?" (or a similar title), in which promiscuous men and women debate a child's paternity. Maury settles the debate, based on DNA testing, with the announcement of "You [ARE/ARE NOT] the father!" Other themes include people with an unusual illness, Jack Hanna's animals, and surprise makeovers. Less-frequently seen are episodes that revolve around the impressive achievements of little people. Also sometimes seen are episodes revolving around obese babies, which gained him notoriety. Another subject is when audience members guess the gender identity of a person who appears as a woman, but in reality may be a transgendered person.
The authenticity of Maury's show has been called into question with recent topics, of which clips have made their rounds on popular video sharing websites, such as "I have a paralyzing fear of pickles!" which featured a woman so terrified of pickles that she claimed they were "ruining her life." The woman is shown coming face to face with her fear and breaking down on camera. This has caused a debate amongst Internet users pertaining to the legitimacy of this said episode and whether it serves as a microcosm of the show's overall possible staged scenes.
Povich is the son of the late, venerated Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich who wrote a weekly column for the paper for over seventy years. In 1966, Maury was a news reporter and sportscaster for WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C. In 1967, he became the original host of the station's popular midday talk show, Panorama, which brought the rising star widespread acclaim and national recognition. From 1977-1983, he anchored the news at stations including those in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia. When media mogul Rupert Murdoch acquired the Metromedia TV station group in 1986, one of his first moves was to bring Povich to New York to host A Current Affair. From 1986 to 1990, he hosted the tabloid "infotainment" TV show. He served two consecutive terms as president of the New York Chapter of the National Television Academy. He hosted a short-lived remake of the classic game show, Twenty One. He later left A Current Affair to host The Maury Povich Show nationally syndicated and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television in partnership with Povich's production company "MoPo Productions" in national syndication from 1991 to 1998. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani honored Povich at a special City Hall ceremony in 1995. In 1998 USA Networks/Studios USA/Universal Vivendi/NBC-Universal (corporate name-changes resulting from mergers and acquisitions) took over production and renamed the show Maury which is currently in its eighth season as distributed by the NBC Universal Television Group. In November 2005, it was announced that Povich would co-host a weekend news program on MSNBC with his wife Connie Chung. The program debuted on January 7, 2006, and lasted until its final episode on June 17. Maury owns his own production company MoPo Productions Inc.
Maury married Phyllis Minkoff in 1962 and divorced in 1979 and had 2 children together. Povich married broadcast journalist Connie Chung on December 2, 1984. They reside in Manhattan and have an adopted son. He has two grown daughters who live in New York and Los Angeles with their families. Maury also raises awareness for National Adoption Month.
Filmography and TV Appearances
External links
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