Shuvrajit Das Biswas
‘The Maury Povich Show,’ simply renamed as ‘Maury,’ is a long-running tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich. While it tackled serious issues like gang warfare, right at the start, over seasons, it started grappling with more domestic but disturbing situations. Paternity tests, teenage pregnancies, and sexual infidelities are all addressed by Maury. However, the segments on paternity testing have become most famous and have earned the show a permanent place in the spotlight. Naturally, with the added popularity comes the inevitable question of whether ‘Maury’ is real or scripted.
Is Maury Scripted?
Fans have asked whether ‘Maury’ is real, and Povich himself has answered, not once, but twice. Speaking to People, Maury said the stories featured are real. He insisted, “My show is for real, and these people, we check them out. I operate like a newsroom. We have seven production teams, and they look at these stories, they check them out back in their hometowns, they talk to their friends, they talk to their family members. This is real stuff.”
In a more candid setting, Maury also took to Reddit to clear the air about the talk show. He said, “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.”
Despite Maury’s insistence, there have been reports of some embellishments. A person who interned on the show stated that the producers probably talked to the guests before they taped the segment, to get the emotions high. Another individual has poured cold water over Maury’s claims of authenticity. They’ve stated their neighbor was on the show. The basic story was true, but there were a lot of inaccuracies in how the couple was portrayed.
Various people who’ve worked on the show have stated that the audience is coached. One individual has gone to the extent to say that they’d offer people $5 or $10 to sit in as the audience. Firsthand accounts suggest that viewers are given alcohol and pot backstage, to make them more rambunctious. Producers then coach the audience on when to boo and cheer, steering the direction and tone of the episodes.
Despite the many embellishments, the callers seem to be true. A person working there has verified they get numerous callers, sift through and find the seemingly true stories, and send the calls upstairs to their bosses. The people might not be fake, but they are paid a nominal amount for their appearances, and their tales are often exaggerated for a dramatic impact. Thus, it is best to take ‘Maury’ with a hefty pinch of salt.
Read More: Is The Jerry Springer Show Scripted?
