The Jenny Jones Show

Format

When the series began, a traditional talk show format reminiscent of Oprah was used. However, ratings were low during the first two seasons, and by 1993 it began to move away from serious subjects and began to take on more unusual subjects and theme shows such as paternity tests, out-of-control teens (including shows in which they are sent to boot camp), confronting former bullies (something Jones dealt with when she was young), makeovers for people who had no sense of fashion or style, celebrity impersonators, talent contests (and at times, people who made it an obsession to enter them, especially parents of the children who enter the pageants/contests/shows), feuding neighbors, strippers and secret crushes. The show would also feature regular live performances by bands of varying genres (notably pop, punk, rock, hip-hop, and R&B), ranging from lesser known bands from the local Chicago area to more well known bands from around the USA and Canada. Many well known artists first appeared on Jenny Jones including Usher, Ludacris, Tamar Braxton, Nelly, and Three Six Mafia, who made their first national TV appearance on the show. The final live performance of alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. before their initial 1997 disbandment was a performance of "Out There" on the show earlier that year.

Comparisons and outrageous titles

During its run, critics would equate this show to The Jerry Springer Show, which was also produced at WMAQ-TV studios, although Jones claimed that her talk show was not as outrageous as Springer's. Critics also believe that some of Jones' ideas were copied from Ricki Lake after her show, Ricki Lake, debuted in 1993 and overtook her in the ratings. It was also rumored that, when Rosie O'Donnell started The Rosie O'Donnell Show, she and Jones had hostility toward each other despite the fact that both their shows were syndicated by Telepictures and both were friends with Lake (both even sent shout-outs to her show, albeit separately). Many of the themes also appear on Maury, such as DNA testing and boot camp, but the guests on Jenny Jones were less contentious than those on Maury. Show titles were often sensational, and usually in rhyme. For example, the title "You May Shake It for Money, But Leave Those Sexy Clothes at the Club, Honey!" was used to describe a sexy makeover show for women whose occupations involve working in nightclubs or strip clubs. The rhyming titles feature began with the show's third season.

Controversy

On March 6, 1995, Jenny Jones taped an episode called "Same Sex Secret Crushes" on which Scott Amedure, a gay man, confessed to an associate, Jonathan Schmitz, that he had a crush on him. Schmitz appeared unconcerned as he laughed about that revelation in front of the audience. However, three days after the taping, an upset Schmitz killed Amedure. After the murder made headlines, the producers decided not to air the show, though it aired during Court TV's (now TruTv) coverage of the trial as part of the presentation of evidence to the jury. Clips of the episode were also featured in the HBO documentary, Talked to Death. Schmitz's history of mental illness and alcohol/drug abuse came to light during the trial in which Schmitz was later convicted of second degree murder. He is currently serving a 25 to 50-year prison term. Jones and the producers were later sued by Amedure's family for neglecting to find out Schmitz's history of mental illness and substance abuse. Jones testified under oath that the producers told Schmitz that his admirer could be a man, but Schmitz thought that the admirer was a woman. Amedure's family won the ruling and the show was ordered to pay $25 million, but that decision was later overturned by the Michigan appellate court which ruled that the producers were not responsible for what happened to the guests after their appearance on the show.

Final years

By what turned out to be the final two seasons, the show began to drop heavily in the ratings. It was nearly cancelled at the conclusion of season 12, but was saved by a last-minute deal with the Tribune Broadcasting station group, although the subsequent station shuffle necessitated in such key markets as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles didn't help the ratings erosion. In the 2002-2003 TV season, Jones' program became the lowest-rated daytime talk show, and after the last original episode aired that spring, Jenny Jones was canceled in the summer of 2003. Reruns continued to air until September 12, 2003.

Cast of characters

The show also had an in-house cast of regulars, some of whom were originally guests before they became fan favorites: