Did Jerry Springer And His Wife Micki Velton Actually Get A Divorce?

Throughout the coverage of Jerry Springer's death in 2023, a host of publications made reference to Springer's ex-wife, Micki Velton. They all agreed that Springer and Melton split in 1994, ending their marriage after 21 years. But the details of the split are not at all clear. While the "Jerry Springer Show" host was behind one of the most iconic and boisterous daytime talk shows of the '90s, his personal life was always a lot quieter.

Springer and Velton met on a blind date in 1969 and went on to marry in 1973, just one year before Springer became embroiled in a political scandal. In 1974, Springer, who had been elected councilman in Cincinnati three years before, had to resign after it came to light that he had hired sex workers several times. Springer's marriage survived, though. "I realized that I couldn't live my life with that hanging over my head, so I told my wife and my family, and then I told her family," he told People.

Springer and Velton welcomed a daughter, Katie, in 1976 and continued on with their lives until the split. The reasons behind the separation are unclear, but it came right when Springer's TV show acquired the sensational format that made it famous. According to Page Six, Velton disappeared from the public eye following the divorce. While it may be true that she stayed out of the limelight, Velton didn't actually go anywhere.

Jerry Springer and Micki Velton did hit a rough patch in 1994 and separated, but they made up before letting it get to divorce, his rep told Closer Weekly in April 2023. At the time of Springer's death, he was still married to and living with Velton, the rep clarified. While he rarely talked about his marriage, he did casually mention being with her later in life. In March 2022, Springer discussed his desire to retire while still healthy, noting he looked forward to learning new skills. "I've got to learn how to cook, to give Micki a day or two off," he joked on NPR. "Otherwise, we'll starve."

In a 2021 interview on the HollywoodLife podcast, Springer shared that he was still a married man while joking about being a comedian in nursing homes. "Because no one in the home's going to remember you," he said. "That's my new, in fact, my wife and I, we talk about it. And when we're looking for a home, it's got to be one that has a social program."

The outlet, however, assumed he meant someone else, not Velton. But it's not like he hid the information from the public. In October 2003, Springer and Velton openly enjoyed lunch together in New York. Somehow, though, the misinformed news that Springer and Velton divorced in 1994 stuck.

While Jerry Springer didn't share much about his relationship with Micki Velton over the years, their daughter Katie has been more open about growing up with them. Katie was born with a host of health conditions, including absent nasal passages (which was fixed shortly after birth), blindness, and single-sided deafness. But Springer and Velton didn't make a big deal about any of it. "That's the end of the sad story," Springer said in the People interview. "The happy story is that she is a bright, exceptional kid who has really overcome a lot."

Katie couldn't be more grateful for her upbringing. "I've heard this story that when I was first born and they heard about all these problems, they just said, 'We're never going to treat her different, we're going to make sure she knows she's not different,'" Katie told Access in 2006. She lived a mostly normal life, pursing a career as an educator working with kids with special needs, getting married in 2006, and welcoming a son three years later. 

In fact, Katie's wedding was what motivated Springer to take part in "Dancing with the Stars," a moment the late Len Goodman ranked among the show's most memorable. "Jerry Springer, hoping to stay in [the competition] long enough so he could learn to waltz and dance it at his daughter's wedding, [springs] to mind in a flash," he told People.