Career: In May 1994, the producers of The Jerry Springer Show, taped in Chicago, needed security guards for a Ku Klux Klan-related show, so they decided to hire off-duty police. Wilkos then worked part-time for Springer security. He recruited several fellow officers for the job, and worked exclusively for the show, leaving the police department in 2001. In 2002, Entertainment Weekly reported that Wilkos became a professional wrestler with the Maryland Championship Wrestling, during a temporary production hiatus of Springer.In 2005, Wilkos appeared as a guest on Check, Please!, a restaurant-reviewing program on Chicago's PBS station, WTTW. Beyond Springer, he has appeared in cameo roles for the show The Simpsons and the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
The Steve Wilkos Show: In January 2007, NBC Universal Television officially announced that Wilkos would host a talk show of his own based at NBC Tower in Chicago. The self-titled program is expected to serve as a companion to Springer and already has attracted the attention of major broadcasting groups, premiering on September 10, 2007 to high ratings. ====================