In the 1990s and early 2000s, trash daytime TV was in its heyday. Shows like Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, and the notoriously scandalous Jerry Springer were a guilty pleasure for anyone craving peak drama. Guests on these shows were encouraged to be loud, explosive, obscene, shocking, and even physically violent. The more over-the-top they were, the better the ratings. The Jerry Springer Show, which made its debut in 1991, featured themes that were among the most controversial. From white supremacists to eccentrics married to farm animals, watching Jerry Springer was like seeing a tabloid magazine come to life. Christian advocacy groups and media watchdogs claimed the show was destroying America. Maybe Jerry Springer marked the end of a more wholesome era of television, but it wasn’t as serious as life or death. Except it was for 52-year-old Nancy Campbell. In July 2000 Nancy was murdered in her home not long after appearing as a guest on The Jerry Springer Show.

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