Maury Povich (2015)

Hahahahahaha!

Well... hahahahaha!

If you wanna be, you can always be!

Just get me a address.

We'll get one out of mothballs!

HA HA!

Tell her to call our show, we'll be glad to have her back, and do it all over again.

It's happened twice.

A woman accused a guy of being the father of her twins. And when I opened the envelope - and I don't know the answers before anybody else does - he was the father of one of the twins, but not the other.

And they were fraternal twins. And science says that's a million-to-one shot, that there could be two fathers of twins. And it's happened twice.

So the million-to-one shot has come in twice.

And that's the most surprised I ever was.

Well, I was a very young radio reporter, in 1963. And I grew up in Washington DC, and that's what happened. I can remember exactly where I was the moment we all heard about it. I was covering a local story at the District Building, which is basically city hall in Washington DC. and my starkest memory of the ensuing days was that night, the radio station asked me to go to Andrews Air Force Base, and I saw Jackie Kennedy come off that plane, in that bloodied suit, and the casket coming out the back of the plane, and... we're talking... over 50 years ago.

I still... I can see that as if it was yesterday.

I don't know.

But I have people here who are getting this question, and will try to respond to it. Hopefully we had an effect.

Well, it was fascinating.

First of all, it was brutally remarkable.

I was taken by it. To the point where I called up the creators, and I couldn't get them, for several days, because I guess they thought I was mad at them. And I wasn't at ALL! I was so humbled by their efforts that all I wanted was a couple of the cartoon cells so I could put them on my wall. And finally, the powers that be answered the call and I have them! And they're displayed prominently in my home.

HAHAHHAHA!

Well, I'll tell ya - it could apply to the guests on my show. It's okay to argue, and it's okay to have separate feelings from each other, in terms of subject matter, and argue, and things like that. But you've GOT to make up before the head hits the pillow at night.

And also, I've learned (unfortunately a lot of my guests haven't with the lie detector show) you've got to give your significant other a long leash, and have a lot of trust in them, so they can remain independent and you are a couple at the same time.

Well, I'm very fortunate because all I have is my own instincts to rely on.

And people who know about the history of talk say that since I started my talk show in...whew, 1991... there are 80 talk shows in the graveyard. And we have more young viewers than any talk show in the country. And I think that I just have relied on my storytelling instincts, the fact that I was in news for a long time, the fact that I always wanted to do more about stories than just a minute and thirty seconds on the news. I wanted to delve into stories to find a true meaning. So that's what we do. And I know that there's a whole aspect of entertainment in the show, so that's well and good, but these are serious subjects, and the most gratification that I get is that my guests and viewers have somehow found a way to trust me.

And I don't know how I've earned that trust. But I just think... I have the human instincts that everyone has.

All of it is real. There's not a moment that is not real. There's not a moment that is scripted. I could make a case that we were maybe one of the first reality shows that came onto the scene. The show never started out this way. We tackled a lot of different subject matter that was in the news. We didn't become a show of society behavior for a long time. And once the lie detectors, and the DNA, kicked in, that's the road we took.

Hahahaha!

Well, I mean, I think genes have something to do with it. My father was 92 when he passed away, and he was the sports columnist for the Washington Post for 75 years, and he died the day after he wrote his last column. And my mother lived to 95, and I don't work real hard at exercise, but I work out because I like to play golf. I am a firm believer- and it's becoming more and more popular - the doctors say "Look, if you walk 20-30 minutes a day. That's really good."

Just don't be sedentary. I don't care what you do. Just don't sit around, or lie around.

Well, you know, there are times...when you have to learn...the technique of "duck and cover."

But I can read my guests pretty well. And fortunately, believe it or not, even though there's a lot of emotion, somehow they seem to respect me, and they do a lot of things, EXCEPT attack me.

Wow.

Can you please be the official historian of the Maury Show?

HAHAHAHAHA!

Well... we've had people... who say that... they've slept for cheeseburgers. I get very distressed about stories like that.

Transgender people usually show up on my show where you don't know whether it's a man or a woman. We love those shows. "Is it a man or a woman?" And I defy anyone to get 10 out of 10.

Well, the stories that really get to me are the ones in which I have a 15 year old girl who's trying to accuse a 15 year old boy of being the father of her child. I mean, the teenage pregnancies, and the teenage kids, who have to deal with babies is the most disturbing part of the show. And we have been very involved in the prevention of teenage pregnancy, because of showing what it can lead to. And I'm happy, in terms of our involvement with the prevention of pregnancy people, but at the same time, it's very distressing to me to have these kids on the show.

It's just all instinct.

I mean, "You are NOT the father," "You ARE the father," and "That's a lie!" just came out. It was never written, it was never enunciated to me, it was just the way I responded... to those themes, once we did them. I mean, I guess it's like Donald Trump saying "You're fired" or whatever signature lines from somebody - it's just become part of my demeanor. It's become part of my being. And I see all kinds of ... Christmas cards... "Maury Christmas," "Joseph, you are NOT the father!" and when somebody is lying on a big news story, I see that on YouTube... I see various billboards, so it's almost become part of Americana.

I'm thinking about this.

Uh... ponders

I'm thinking.

Uh...

This could be above my pay grade.

I don't know how you would tell the difference. And I would love to be able to call in a geneticist. Because... I'd be very confused.

All I can tell you is... don't do it! HAHAHA!

I want to tell you - we would get a prime time, nighttime special for that. If it EVER happened.

HAHAHAHAHHA!!!

That's a great... you're showing a great deal of knowledge, because guess what? At least a handful.

No, I just suck on my finger during commercials.

I think the number one factor is - young boys are stupid, if they get in that situation, and don't have protection. For girls, I think one of the main reasons they search for getting pregnant and having a child is they're looking for unconditional love, that they're not getting at home, they have problems with their parents, they think that the only thing that will love them unconditionally is a baby.

And that's the worst possible thought. Because what we try to show is that your whole life will change for the worse.

Hahahahahaha!

Well, it's interesting. I've always thought there are certain states that have been popular in terms of our guests. And I would say - first of all - NYC, because we tape in the New York area. So that's been a very popular place for our guests.

Atlanta, Chicago... Texas... California...Florida, definitely Florida... but I would not say that, you know, it's an urban draw. Because many of our guests come from small towns. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've heard "We live in a small town, and everybody thinks she's running around with everybody in the town!" or "Everybody thinks he's cheating on me in our small town!"

So that's why when people say "Where do you get your guests?" and I say "This show is made in AMERICA!"

We get them from everywhere.

So somebody's gonna put me on a cave wall? I might be a spirit animal? I think that's great. Wow.

I think the answer to the last question really answers that one, where I was shocked the most. But I will say that the smartest thing I ever did - and sometimes it's just by pure luck - when I first had the paternity test story, and the producer was briefing me before the story, the first one ever ever did - and so the first time I was briefed, the producer gave me the outline of the story, and I read it, and then she said "here's the result of the test, here's the answer" and I said "I don't want the answer. I don't want to know anything more than what my guest knows, or my live audience, or my television audience. Because I would ask questions differently if I knew the result. And I want to be as surprised as anyone."

Wow.

You know, it's very interesting you mention all those names, and they all bring memories to me. It's like 30 Sundays hit the calendar, all those names.

My producer had a great idea one time. We've never pursued it, but we should. And that is to bring out a book called "The Maury Book for Baby Names."

All I do is think about those kids.

I wanna tell you something - those women, who come here, searching for the fathers of their babies, they, in a way, demonstrate such courage. They don't do it for money. They just do it because they want - they know that their child has a better chance with two parents. And they are searching for this father. And despite their indiscretions, they still seek their child's father. So that the child will have a better life.

So I give them a lot of credit.

And I'm only hoping and praying that those kids have a good life, even if it's with a single mother.

Hehehe. Well... you know... you hope that the 6th will be.

So I've been asked that question, about how do I do this thing with a straight face. I knew a President one time. And he asked me one time, because he was flipping through stations, and he saw my show, and he said "How do you do that show with a straight face?"

And I said "Well, Mr. President, think of all the things you have to do every day with a straight face."

Well, I can tell you that I have appeared on Saturday Night Live once. And it was - gosh, maybe 25 years ago? And Ed O'Neill, who's on Modern Family, was the star of a show called "Married with Children," years and years ago. And he was one of FOX's first hits. And because he was the star, he was asked to host SNL. And he was supposed to come out, and be very excited because he was the first FOX hit. And I kind of interrupted his monologue, because i was doing A Current Affair, which was a FOX show, which started before "Married with Children," and was really the show which paved the way (in terms of money) for the FOX network, and I pushed him out of the way, and talked about a Current Affair.

So that was my only appearance on SNL. According to Lorne Michaels, it went well, and I've never been asked back since.

But they reference me a LOT in Weekend Update!

Connie has been the main parent in my son's life. She has raised this young 19 year old. He was born in 1995, she went to work for a while at ABC and CNN after a few years of raising Matthew, then she went back to raising him through his formative years, and I think because of the climate of news, and because so many outlets have an agenda, and that news cannot be disseminated the way she grew up in that business, taking a very objective and observant attitude, whereas now everyone seems to have an agenda for their programming - she's kind of glad she's out of the game.

If she could find a way to get back in a situation which she feels is appropriate, she would do it.

smiles

Well, I don't know. I think my producers just came to me with the idea. I think when we first started the show, we were not as...edgy? As the show has become, in terms of our themes. And the paternity shows have proved so popular, because you have all this drama, and it's all wrapped up, with a conclusion, in 12 minutes. And I think we just tried it blindly to see how it would go, and it's been a huge success.

The highest number? We've had one person that's been well in the teens. She's been back something like 14 times. And I don't think she's ever found the father of at least one of her children.

I have several, but I'm a huge believer in education. Early education, college education, I'm a huge supporter of charter schools, I give a lot of money to my university and my high school, so that underprivileged kids from those towns are able to attend the best schools. I'm a huge supporter of the National Adoption Center, which is headquartered in Philadelphia, because Connie and my great joy, our son, is adopted, and we know how much of a gift adoption can be.

Okay.

D was a terrific part of the show for many years. He was great with those kids, those out of control kids that we used to have on. I think that what happened was he moved into a different direction. He wanted his own show, so he pursued that on his own.

Well, it was - first of all - I was touched by the fact that they asked me. Tina Fey has told me that it was one of her absolute favorite episodes. It's an episode in which Tracy Morgan was the illegitimate child of Thomas Jefferson, who was played by Alec Baldwin, and Sally Hemmings was played by - I can't remember who played her - and Alec and Tracy were at my show, and we did it on the set, and I just, I mean, I was just blown away that this hip, primetime sitcom would use me. And when Tina - at some point I saw her later - said it was one of her favorite shows I was just blown away.

I can tell you that maybe - MAYBE - we've done 5 tests again, only because of the insistence of the guests. And it's never gone the other way.

I mean, when they say 99.999 - they're not kidding.

We have had - I think my favorite success stories are two, just thematically.

One in which the father has denied being the father, was proved to be the father, and they get into the child's life. And the second is that young teenager who ran in the streets, who wanted to get pregnant, or wanted to run away and be a stripper, turned their life around and went back to school and didn't get pregnant and is living a productive life.

Those are my favorite success stories.

Well, what's happened in daytime TV is that there are less and less traditional talk shows.

And when I say "traditional" - like when Oprah was on the air, and back in the 80's, there was no only Oprah, there was Phil, there was Joan Rivers, there was Jenny Jones, there was Sally Jesse Raphael - MANY shows to pick from. And the daytime audience is unfortunately shrinking. So there aren't that many shows that can garner an audience. And the "traditional" show - where you have a show that has a variety, celebrities, cooking food, human interest stories - you don't have as many shows. Ellen? Yes. Maybe Steve Harvey, you could say. Meredith's is out there, but it's a tough market. And in the traditional way, that's all there are.

So you've got to have some kind of signature. Some kind of... uniqueness. In order to survive. And fortunately, we've had it.

Look - no television researcher could ever explain my show.

I've been on the air longer than anybody out there.

I am older than anyone out there.

And I have the youngest audience of anybody out there.

I mean, that's an inverse equation. Nobody can figure it out. And quite frankly - I don't want to figure it out.

I was a dreadful student.

And one of the reasons I think I was so bad was that I had very few teachers that I remember. And so I really think that I could teach. But I don't think I could teach with a huge syllabus.

I think I would be more of a storytelling teacher than a teacher who gave out huge reading assignments.