Steve Wilkos Recounts All the Injuries He Suffered as a Security Guard on The Jerry Springer Show: ‘They Wanted Fights’

Steve Wilkos is opening up about his dangerous days as a security guard on The Jerry Springer Show.

In the final installment of Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV, ABC News Studios’ three-part documentary about the rise of 90s daytime talk shows that aired on Wednesday, Jan. 28, talk show host Steve Wilkos detailed the chaotic environment fostered by producers on The Jerry Springer Show, where physical fights between guests were frequent enough to require intervention from security.

“The producers, they wanted fights. There was times, if we didn’t have a fight, everybody was disappointed,” said Wilkos. “I suffered a concussion, two back surgeries, torn groin. We had women ripping pounds of hair out of each other’s head.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

While working as an officer in the Chicago Police Department, Wilkos was hired as a security guard on The Jerry Springer Show in 1994, where he worked until 2006. 

“It was the greatest side gig in the world,” said Wilkos, 61. “I was nobody, nobody knew who the hell I was. And when the show started taking off, I was on stage so much that I really felt embedded into the show.”

In the documentary, Wilkos shrugged off criticism that The Jerry Springer Show and shows like it broadcast staged storylines. “I remember when Dateline came and they covered us like it was some big scandal,” said Wilkos. “Maybe every fight wasn’t real, maybe every story wasn’t real. Okay, you got us. So what? What are you uncovering here? Watergate? It’s a talk show.”

Wilkos became the host of his own talk show, The Steve Wilkos Show, which is stilling running, in 2007.

Reflecting on his time at The Jerry Springer Show, Wilkos admitted fights were allowed up to a point. “There’s a delicate balance because you don’t want anybody hurt, but you want some action,” said Wilkos. “So, you don’t wanna break it up too quick.”

Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV details the rise of 90s “Trash TV” talk shows, where hosts competed for the most ridiculous guests and storylines, sometimes resulting in violence. 

Along with Wilkos, fellow hosts Maury Povich, Montel Williams, Sally Jessy Raphael and Leeza Gibbons also appear in the documentary, reflecting on the cultural impact and legacy of their popular TV shows.

The first episode dove into how the daytime format exploded in the ‘90s, with sex and conflict becoming key to the shows’ appeal. The second episode explores why viewers watched and why guests agreed to bare it all on air. It also told the story of the shocking incident where one guest murdered another after a taping. And the third and final episode detailed how The Jerry Springer Show brought the genre to “new levels of sensationalism”.

All episodes of Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV are now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.