Former Jerry Springer guest reveals the host’s secret act of kindness ahead of Netflix documentary release

Jerry Springer may have been known for helming the “worst TV show of all time,” but behind the scenes he was caring and thoughtful and went above and beyond for his guests in need.

One person who can attest to this is former guest Zach Strenkert who appeared on the infamous program as a baby with his parents in 1996.

Nicknamed the ‘giant baby’, his mother brought him onto the show, desperately trying to get a diagnosis for his rare condition.

He would then appear again 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 television host and insisted he truly changed 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, many stories have been passed down to me about how he really changed my life for the better,” he said.

“He was the person who finally gave my mother the answer she was so desperately looking for. He was the only person who offered to get her a specialist to work with me.

“Not only that, but afterwards he took care of me too. He kept sending me gifts for over a year, like baby supplies, a giant truck that fit my body, and a huge stroller. He really cared.”

Zach, who was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome, returned to The Jerry Springer Show in 2017 as an adult.

Recalling his experience coming face to face with the talk show host, he said, “It really followed.” When I met him in 2017, he was much the same.”

“In a moment that couldn’t be seen, my mom was just crying and Jerry was in tears too, and they had such a big hug,” he recalled.

‘They hug and she thanks him very much. She finally got to thank her and she did.

“I shook his hand and told him how much it meant to me and how much it meant to my mother, how much it changed my life.”

“I feel like Jerry and my mom are helping each other move forward in ways I didn’t know they needed,” Zach added.

‘It gave my mother peace. She could rest. She was very tireless. You know, she gave her body, mind and soul to find an answer for me.”

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 scathing 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 testimonials and revelations from show insiders that expose the dark truths behind the entertaining facade.

“I think people have the right to tell their stories no matter what they are,” Zach said of the series.

‘I think people are complex. One man’s friend can be another man’s nightmare. Who am I to say that?’

“I got a really good impression of him as a person,” Zach added. ‘It was truly life-changing. I don’t know how I would have turned out otherwise.’

Three years after his last appearance on The Jerry Springer Show, Zach decided to take over and turn his life around.

Starting in lockdown, he embarked on an epic fitness journey that saw him shrink from 200kg to 250kg.

“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 confined to a bed, and I certainly don’t want to die sooner than necessary.

‘It’s a miracle I can walk at all. It’s a miracle I’m still alive. I shouldn’t take that for granted.

“I remember my dog ​​laying with me, and I took a picture of us, and I didn’t like what I saw.” I just wasn’t happy with anything, and we lived in poverty in the ghetto. It was difficult.’

Initially, Zach created a positive feedback loop for himself and set goals that he could easily beat.

It said he had to walk for five minutes, but he would go on for ten minutes, and so on.

But eventually Zach made an effort to shift his weight and began fasting and exercising at dangerous levels.

“I fasted all day until my family begged me to eat something in the evening,” he recalls.

‘I wanted to become more aware of what I was doing with my body, so that was an important step for me, believe it or not.

“And then it helped me become more intuitive and more conscious in the way I approached these things, and I was just able to build on that foundation.

“After that, I’d say I aimed for 1,200 calories, but realistically I only ate a few hundred calories, and then I burned about 1,000 calories every day.”

Today, however, Zach is in a much better place and has learned to find balance. He is also writing a self-help book to help others like him.

Looking back on how far he has gone, Zach wishes Springer could see him now and all he has accomplished.

“I wish I had the chance to shake his hand again and speak to him as the capable human being, the adult I have grown into, no longer hindered by my body,” he said.

‘From that moment on, I have overcome so much in my life. I would say that I have completely changed in the last five years.

“I almost don’t recognize myself, and I wish he could have seen that.”