Maury Povich
Maury Povich | |
|---|---|
| File:Maury povich.jpg | |
| Born | January 17, 1939 |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, Talk Show Host |
Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich (born January 17, 1939 in Washington, D.C.) is an American TV talk show personality who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury which has earned him national recognition due to the paternity tests that are often aired.
Povich is the son of Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich, who wrote a weekly column for the paper for more than 70 years. He is also a Lithuanian Jew. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he followed his father into the journalism arena. In 1966, Povich 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 to 1983, he anchored the news at stations in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia.
He married anchorperson Connie Chung in 1984, but was unable to have a child with her. [citation needed] They adopted a son, Matthew Jay Povich, on June 20, 1995. Povich has two daughters from a previous marriage.
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.
Povich 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, which was nationally syndicated and distributed by Paramount Television in partnership with Povich's production company "MoPo Productions" and in national syndication from 1991 to 1998.
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani honored Povich in 1995 during a City Hall ceremony. In 1998, Studios USA (then a division of USA Networks, later renamed Universal Television after being sold to Vivendi Universal, and NBC Universal Television after VU Entertainment was sold to NBC owner General Electric) took over production and renamed the show Maury.
In November 2005, MSNBC announced Povich would co-host a weekend news program with his wife, Connie Chung. The program debuted January 7, 2006, and the final episode ran June 17, 2006.
Povich has become a popular culture icon in the United States. He and Maury were satirized on the South Park episode "Freak Strike". The song 'Maury' on D.C. Anderson's CD recording 'I am still' (LML Music label) is from the perspective of a baby prior to the release of DNA test results on the Maury Povich Show.