The Trash TV Talk Show that Sparked a MURDER
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- After being humiliated in front of a live audience on a trash TV talk show, with a not so straight man confessing his crush on a completely straight man and revealing his fantasies to him, the guest completely snapped, leading to a tragedy that would play out over years and years. While the video of this show was previous lost media, it has since been found.
Once again, thank you for the support, everyone.
/ diretrip
www.buymeacoff...
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or case recommendations!
Twitter -- / diretrip
Facebook -- / diretrip
Instagram -- / mega_spit
Edited by @McVidEditing -
x.com/MCVidEdi...
"You lied to me" is a key verbal expression to this case.
I wonder what would’ve been the sentence if a woman reacted like that after a creep continued to stalk her and leave sexual innuendo notes on her door?
@@richardlong2094precisely my thought too
@@richardlong2094 It's classic stalking behavior. Women aren't getting protected anymore tho. Those days are over. The criminal justice system has become even worse nowadays. It's a wild scene, man.
Taylor Swift is getting actively stalked rn by an obviously dangerous, deluded man. He was arrested 3 times in 5 days & let out by the judge every time.
He's primarily mad at Swift bc he says she stole his pants. He was last arrested going thru the dumpster for her Tribeca apt building.
Most of the Swifties are actually wondering why nothing is being done & the judges keep releasing him so he can go right back out to stalk her. They really don't know why...
@@richardlong2094I said the same. And that age gap was significant too
Nothing like being betrayed and lied to
I think we can all agree, it was pretty dumb of Scott to continue pursuing Jonathan afterwards.
It's almost like "no means no" goes for men too
Absolutely.
From what I remember, but I’m not entirely positive that it happened, but Scott flirted, wink, and somewhat harassed Johnathan whenever he was around with Donna. I can’t say he did or didn’t sexually harass him, but from what I recall, Scott didn’t let up and seemed to like to make Johnathan flustered.
Everyone did something wrong here and they all kinda suck. But only one person ended a life.
Scott made a mistake but he didn't deserve death. What is it with people and victim blaming. Weird tendency.
While I do feel his reaction was way over the top, NO MEANS NO. This goes for men, women, gay, straight, …EVERYONE!
My reaction, too. If the perpetrator had not been such a shit head and did what he did, I would have sympathetized with him just wanting to be left alone.
Except for WAR. We say NO they carry on
@@Lagosaweeain't that the pitiful truth.
14:49 anyone else hear schmitz say to amedure "get off of me" whilst they're hugging??
@@changecomesfromwithin7377oh wow! Completely missed that the 1st time thru😬yikes!
I think we can all agree that when John said "you lied to me", Donna knew deep down he'd probably never hear Scott out and thats why she tricked him. Truth is key.
Thanks captain obvious
@@MrMagoo-rg8er no need for sarcasm
@@RayvenLunaNite .
And that was a big deal lie. I don't think he did the right thing, but I understand why he reacted that way and feel no sympathy to the people he went after.
Captain obvious is here everyone! Don't worry, all your theories will be known!
I'm a gay man and honestly I'd feel weirded out too if somebody, anybody, said on national TV they'd like to tie me on a hammock and cover me on whipped cream. It's gross, mainly because they are looking at me as a sexual object rather than a person with authentic feelings. This guy didn't deserve to die of course, but that doesn't mean he was not a creep. The best they could do is just cut ties and move on, not send a note pushing the boundaries even more
well put...i thought all that stuff was highly inappropriate
Not to mention Jenny prompted those questions
As a straight man, I approve your post. People have to respect each other.
I don’t think, the gay dude was thinking about him as a “sexual object”. Sex is something natural. And I don’t think the straight dude was weirded out by seen as a “sexual object”, I think he was weirded out by it coming from another man
@@CourtneySturkey Whenever cream is mentioned regarding a "love" interest it's ALWAYS sexual.
Regardless of orientation, if the party being chased is not attracted to the pursuer then of course it's a turn-off in general,.
Scott leaving the note on his doorstep actually took it to a sexual harassment or stalking case. Not saying murder is anywhere close to a justified response, but Scott should have known he was way overstepping his boundaries.
It was my understanding that Scott was already harassing Jonathan and Jonathan had already repeatedly told him he was not interested. I watched another documentary video on this same subject.
It's absolutely justified, sleaze bag was harassing him what else could he do?
@@psychedelicsoul3260Get a restraining order then…
Ok that makes sense to me. I’ve only watched this video but it very much seems he was being stalked and harassed, and would never admit it even in his defense because of the thing with his dad. i could even go so far as to imagine the killing could have been self-defense based on that note.
Well not based on the note itself, but the note at least makes such a scenario imaginable.
I feel for both victim and perp in this case😢. John was sexually harassed by Scott after the show as Scott ignored Johns boundaries. Donna betrayed John and Johns father abused and tormented him. The show just lit the wick
NEVER AIRED. So nobody ever would see that shows. You have to sign a contract release for they can show him on Tv. Hes braindead. Nobody would ever see it anyways
@@jimjames6990probably signed a waiver before the show
@@jimjames6990 Never aired?
We're all watching the show right now with a detailed recap.😅
@@AnthonybrotherIt didn't actually air but was seen during Johnathan Schmidt's trial
@@jimjames6990
I'm assuming John did not know that it would never air
Donna is such a slime ball! She tried to weasel her way out of responsibility, but she definitely instigated the situation. If she was a truly a friend, should would have told Robert to back off from the start, but she instead was fanning the flames along. What Jonathan did was absolutely wrong, but Robert was wrong too showing up to that man’s house and leaving that note.
Imo, Donna was the responsible party, not the show.
Who is this Robert character?
are u and everyone else saying this on crack?
@@thegoblinspeaks Not as much crack as you're on Donna.
He probably thought Donna was the person interested in him, maybe he was even interested in in her and why it hurt even more.
I sort of recall this case and Scott left him more than one note, he showed up to his house more than once, would call him and leave flowers, etc. yes he didnt need to shoot him but scott should've left him alone after being told no multiple times.
Wonder what the end result would have been if the person who was being harassed with unwanted sexual advances was a woman and the person who was guilty of harassment was a man? I can just about guarantee you that she would not be charged and multitudes would have come to her defense.
considering how the murder supposedly took place 3 days after the taping, i dont think enough time passed for "frequent letters and house-visits" to be possible.
@@boarfaceswinejaw4516 ; fcking thank you! bc im wondering where they got this info from. unless theyre saying it happened before the show but then it wouldnt be a "Secret admirer" at that point. its like everyone throwing around "harassment" as if one note constitutes harassment. funny how when its a man in the place women are usually in, ppl suddenly place fast and loose with definitions of words.
@@boarfaceswinejaw4516 Before the show.
Chile stop lying. He was unalive 3 days after flying back. U just making shit up
I think the main issue was that the show directly lied about the sex of the crush to humiliate Johnathon after he got there so he had zero chance to grasp the possibility beforehand and didn't give his fully informed consent to be there. Then obviously continuing to sexually harass someone isn't a murder worthy offense, but it definitely didn't make the situation any better. In a perfect world, the show wouldn't have lied, Johnathon would've gotten a lawyer and had the episode cancelled before it aired, and/or Scott would've taken that "I'm heterosexual" as the "no" that it was.
@kimber4t4 Exactly! Scott was way overconfident/self-centered. From the start he made a joke of it. Tie him to his hammock? A broken brake oil line? He viewed Jonathan as a sex object. Being yourself and being proud is great. It's not great to make others feel violated. The woman was a bad friend. Doubt she played matchmaker, just said so for the show. How would Scott react if his secret crush was a woman? Then that woman, after being told he was gay, pursued him? Murder should never be excused. Jonathan was a victim as well, though.
@@ItsNeverAManequinnot to say that he /isn't/ a creep, but the show purposely goaded him into revealing his fantasy's, like it seems they did for most guests on this segment. It seemed even he was uncomfortable about saying it on live TV but felt like he had to or else Jenny would have exposed him in a worse way.
@@ItsNeverAManequinit didn't seem like he was comfortable telling his "fantasizes" about Johnathan. And Jonathan isn't a victim
The murder is the main issue
@@oliver123-uy2vv yes but the murder likely wouldn't have happened without the show
As a gay man, I can definitely see how this concept could backfire in a heartbeat. First, society was not really open about LGBTQ+ relationships and considered them shameful (not the case and everyone should be able to be with whomever they want). Second, the idea of baiting a straight man and then revealing a bomb to him in national TV in front of millions could be extremely shocking/traumatizing to him. Producers are at fault, but there are boundaries Scott should have respected (this does NOT mean murder was ok and Jonathan should have ended the friendship right after the show).
Exactly. From the comments so far, people are too young to understand how taboo it was for lgbt issues to be discussed. Again, doesn't mean Scott should have been murdered, but the show pushed him to be as flirtatious as possible and humiliate the dude to the point where he got so embarrassed and enraged a murder took place.
As a human I can see how this could backfire ,for anyone
Thank you for your comment. I fear that Scott’s actions prior to his murder only further provoked homophobes in the wake of this case. Many people blamed Scott, claiming that he “had what was coming to him” and “got what he deserved.” However, I feel that Scott’s actions were the actions of an obsessive, entitled individual and had nothing to do with his sexuality. The idea that one would deliberately continue prodding someone after humiliating them on national TV reveals only a sort of disregard for boundaries.
However, it is a great shame that Scott’s sexuality became intertwined in this story and gave permission to truly homophobic people to cast all blame for this heinous crime onto the victim and onto the LGBT+ community as a whole.
Can I ask you a personal question? I am part of the community as well however, I noticed you left out the “Q” in LGBTQ - Why? Personally I hate the term “queer”. I use that word having NO meaning to sexuality. I just don’t really know what I’m asking but I guess what’s your feeling in the word queer? lol. Frfr and with ALL the respect in the world. ❤
@@fofao681 you got it right there
My husband and I used to have a gay neighbor. We would have him over occasionally for dinner. He was great company until he kept telling me that when he first met my husband he was hoping he was single. He was also hoping he was gay. But he said that he didn't mind going for a straight guy and turning him gay. My husband was absolutely distraught when he heard this. My husband's a really nice guy and he was so uncomfortable. We had to cut contact with the neighbor because he just kept sexually harassing my husband. My husband was absolutely disgusted and paranoid living next door to the neighbor. I truly felt for my husband. Some people just don't understand that people have boundaries.
I'm sorry to hear about your fictional husband in this fictional story.
@@1.0231 And that's the reason what happened to Scott?
@@1.0231 The neighbor started getting touchy and my husband threatened to F$k him up if he didn't stop. Never saw the neighbor again.
They are like vampires. Dont invite them into your home
Your neighbor: I like ya … and I wantcha we can do this the easy way or the hard way .
Your husband: I don’t want it any kind of way.
Your neighbor: so the hard way..
And this is why the correct answer to anyone asking you to be on TV is a flat no.
Nobody knew the outcome, plus his friend straight up lied to him.
Correct. Johnathan most likely felt humiliated and embarrassed after feeling set up. Worrying that all of his family and friends at home thinking weirdly of him just because 'The Jenny Jones Show' thought it would be funny to humiliate him on their t.v. show is pretty sick and disgusting. Too bad Johnathan didn't get up immediately and walk out on their show after learned his gay friend had a crush on him and tell his friend, "We're no longer friends. Bye."
Just shows that these talk shows are disgusting and evil.
@@suhtangwong Even by the time this show was airing there were plenty of reasons to not except being on a talk show.
Exactly! Don't be on TV; don't talk to the media, either. TV gets rating precisely by humiliating people, not by being their friend. They prey on our vanity. Stay the hell away from them. None of us is that important and very few are really interested in us.
@@suhtangwong His friend lied to him. But I wouldn't say it was 'straight up'.
This is just such a sad story
No one wants to be embarrassed, let alone on national television.
But murder is never the answer to anything.
Seems like it was the answer here. These things haven't happened since. This gay guy will never again attempt to abuse a friend's trust, instead of honestly asking for a date, and persist after public refusal. This woman will, hopefully, think twice before setting up 2 people of incompatible sexuality.
Jenny ultimately lost her show, and no other American show (to my knowledge) has repeated the farce.
Edit: The 2nd to last word of the 1st paragraph has been corrected, and the addition of the word "hopefully" in the same sentence.
@@MomMom4CubsGuess you didn’t watch the whole video. Watch part 6.
@@HotTakeAndywhat are you talking about.
Lots of people embarrass themselves in third world tv for money. So yes, some don't mind.
The fact that Scott still tried with him after all that is crazy
14:49 anyone else hear schmitz say to amedure "get off of me" whilst they're hugging...?
Other than jenny Jones, let's not forget that Donna is the one who set it all up. Sickening.
The video did say Scott called the show however.
@@reszzz Donna just tried to get them in the same room, while Scott deceptively tried to corner him on a TV show.
Fair enough, thanks for pointing that out.
@@FrizzKid05yea, but she still went through with the show and solidified bro fate.
If you chase after someone and they show no interest in you, leave them alone.
Don't force your presence or interactions with them.
Some people act like being heterosexual is wrong when a gay person likes you sexually/romantically otherwise you're homophobic. Which in most cases, is not true, they're just not sexually/romantically attracted to you and yes they have the right to be. No means freakin no.
@@monaeallsup6140 now tell that to the lesbians who deal with straight men
Never accept an invite to a talk show, not even as a studio audience member.
I blame the Jenny Jones show’s executives. No screenings, etc. Still, it wasn’t the worst of the “ambush” shows. It was all about the money for these people; little or no concern was given to the guests.
I blame the murderer for being a murderer.
what about his neighbor
After watching a documentary on behind the scenes of talk shows, the producers are ruthless and push and push to get reactions so ratings will go up, no matter what happens after they leave the show.
@@jamesedwardladislazerrudo1378 complete BS... they knew with some of these scenarios that they would be causing amazing anger... the laws are pretty clear that you can be considered an accomplice in such situations. Don't lick the boots of producers who DID know better, but went there anyways.
@@herogibson I blame the predator for persistently ignoring someone else's boundaries and the word "No!" Had he respected the man's choice/sexual preference, he'd probably still be alive today.
Gay people also need to respect boundaries. It's sexual harassment to continue to push yourself on someone who has explicitly told you there are not interested.
So murder is the answer of course?
@@TheEnder3 Eventually.
@@Yue_Jin there should be no purpose of murder if you can't do this maturely then he deserves jail
@@TheEnder3they're not supporting murder they're just saying if someone heterosexual doesn't want you don't push it
@@Yue_Jinbrooo 😂
Jenny Jones, Riki Lake, Jerry Springer…all TRASH TV in the 90s.😂
Love em😂❤
Maury was in the 90s that show stunk but I think it peaked in the 2000s they’re probably still running new episodes today.
Don't forget ORCA Winfrey
Sally Jesse Raphael
@RM-fb6sj LMFAOOOOOOO
I love how the dude always finds interesting topics that haven’t already been repeatedly discussed. This has been become my favorite channel.
This has been a story i share to as many ppl as i can. Gay panic is still a defense in 11 (i believe or it might be 8) states in the US
This is an OK channel, but he has not covered a single thing in any video that hasn't been covered many times already on other channels :(
This topic had been discussed millions of time since the 90's. I do enjoy his delivery on subjects.
You don't see it repeatedly discussed because everyone already did it more then a decade ago.
I think what OP is saying is, True Crime channels today don't talk a lot about the cases he does. I've been through many channels and haven't seen most of his cases before, yet I've seen the same ones, the most popular ones, over and over and over.
Absolutely disgusted by Jenny Jones’ show. The gall to call someone homophobic when the specific episode’s concept itself is homophobic. Exposing a crush wasn’t enough for them, they needed the controversial aspect to laugh and awe at. Obviously Jonathan shouldn’t have escalated to murder, but Scott outright taunted him and their mutual “friend” clearly was against him. A serious violation of trust.
But he WAS homophobic. Did you not hear the part about his father? The entire reason he unalived Scott because he didn't want to be seen as LGBT. That's the very definition of homophobia.
honestly, the murder was justified.. its gross and unnatural
@@WobblesandBean my comment was more centered on the show runners’ hypocrisy than defending Jonathan. And it’s worth noting that Jonathan was fine with being friends with Scott before the episode, but then Scott decided to publicize his unnecessarily embarrassing confession on television and harass him with the intention of receiving sex.
@@penguinsinorbit2034 full stop, no, murder wasn’t justified here. While I feel blame is divided partly on the side of the victim, the embarrassment or fear to avoid being mislabeled as gay is no justification to kill someone.
@@penguinsinorbit2034no, it wasn’t fucking justified. How is killing someone who’s gay different than killing someone who’s straight? The only difference is sexuality. Murder is wrong, period.
And this folks is why boundaries are important.. Leave people alone and stop being weird
Funny how straight men never tell each other that. It's like they're the only ones who are allowed to cross boundaries.
@@LuckyVine i don’t even kno what this means.. an I’m not straight btw
@@threegreezyshe tried a femnist anti heterosexual male bash and it failed 😅😂!!
@@mikedmacc709 what are you even saying lmao "anti heterosexual" what does that even mean lol
Yeah, we know, don't murder people.
There was an other episode similar to this on Wife swap where by the endone of the sons, Jacob Stackdale kills his mom and youngest brother before trying to kill himself.
His parents had him and his siblings isolated all their life, working for “tokens” they could use to trade in for things like snacks or listening to an approved radioshow by the parents for 30 minutes or something like that. When they swapped and let the new parent have her way after 1 week she said “we’re gonna let u relax, watch tv, play games and have meaningful relationships with their friends. It was then that Jacob ran out of the house when he was chased after by the new parent asking what’s wrong and he said “if I try and do any of what u say my parents say I’ll burn in hell and be tortured for eternity.”
The kids were practically isolated and although they loved music and played the banjo together and were gifted in singing they were no different then prisoners and the mom was the warden and the dad was the 2nd in charge.
I think he made a video about it.
Jacob snapped 10 years after the show had aired, at the age of 25 and after years of isolation and control by his parents, especially his despotic mother. At that time all three of his older brothers had left home and the pressure on him as the oldest was reaching boiling point. I feel terribly sorry for him and blame the parents entirely!
Thank you for this explanation of the episode. I have heard of it and have seen many wife swap eps but didn’t know the background.
it wasn't just the note, his friends didn't stop teasing him and kept going if he was gay and joking about it, scott came on to him non stop and that note was the breaking point.
very sad case
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Honestly people need to understand no means no. If someone has made it clear that they aren't interested in you, move on
Good point. He shouldn't have had to serve twenty years. The murder was almost justified, in my opinion. Sort of like a woman killing her rapist. Now, hear me out. For a straight man, what happened on live TV was almost psychologically like being raped. It was like the rapist following the woman victim afterword and taunting her about it. I know some may disagree with me on this, but that is how I see it.
@@JohnSmith-ct5jd I am straight, but you're going overboard comparing it to r@pe. Plenty of blame to go around but murder wasn't the answer.
"He said you lied to me on national TV" equates to overwhelming embarrassment and a feeling of losing control.
Gods, the paparazzi at the end is vile. Journalism is filled with grimy little vultures.
They killed Princess Diana.
@@tysondennis1016the paparazzi killed her? Did they go to prison?
@@suhtangwong She wouldn’t have died that night if they didn’t hound her mercilessly like piranhas. From my point of view, they did it.
@@suhtangwongmy guy they were literally chasing after her car and driving on the wrong side of the road. They literally entered a high speed chase and she died in the resulting car crash. Or do you believe the conspiracy theory that Charles had her assassinated which was brought forward by Diana's driver's deranged father who publicly physically assaulted Diana's mother in a deranged outburst?
I know. The man served twenty years for crying out loud, which I think was too much given the circumstances. But the media had to take revenge and get another pound of flesh out of him. They should have left him alone. He served his time.
I wonder where Donna is now and if she feels any type of guilt for what happened. She should’ve just left it alone and not been a part of it. She had already tried and Johnathan had clearly said no. She should’ve just accepted the no. Scott should’ve also accepted the no and waited a few weeks to see what happened
She had a chance to be on tv
I can bet she stays out of people's personal lives
@@fabiwilliams4644 someone like her probably doesnt. she probably continues to meddle in everyone's lives and still doesn't see how what she does is wrong.
He should've not murdered someone
@@alexmollon933 you're right... Murder is also murder
I'm a gay man, and I would never pull some shit like that on an unknowing straight guy. That was just wrong in every sense. I've never cared for so-called 'Trash Talk Shows'... because that's all they are. No substance.
But that’s just it, no one should be harassed. I’m sure you wouldn’t harass a gay man, it demonstrates an absolute lack of respect for people when they’re treated like objects not individuals. No one has the right to demand attention or reciprocation from anyone. People who can’t understand that overwhelmingly tend to be narcissists.
I have heard this story before, but this is the first video that I have seen that went into so much detail.
This case is legendary. In fact, I remember an HBO documentary about trash shows where this case was featured.
@@OneBadAssMoMo, exactly
I saw that. Excellent show.
I am in no way defending his final actions but I find it hard to consider him homophobic. He was friendly with an openly gay man and seemed to have no issues until he was embarrased on national TV and had to suffer the wrath of his evil family (at least his father who WAS homophobic) and possibly his friends. The way his father reacted when finding out the subject matter of the show coupled with that final note pushing the matter just pushed him over the edge. Tragic all around.
If u even disagree with a gay person you are sadly deemed homophobic, doesn't matter if its bc they're gay or not. Could be disagreeing about Colors of the sky and in today's age it would be bc ur homophobic.
Why do you think he considered the event "embarrasing"? I mean he knew 100% what he was getting himself into, but it's only embarrasing because it was gay. So homophobia.
@@goese868 But that's just it. He DIDN'T know. He was invited on the show under false pretenses and didn't know why he was really there.
@@saintsinner6195 He was told that the person would either be a woman or a man. And it's obviously not Scott's fault how they handled it.
@@goese868It was Scott's fault too for not leaving the guy alone and on top of that, leaving a creepy ass note on his door in the name of "flirting".
As a teenager in the 90s I have to admit those shows were very entertaining after school - Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, Jerry...what a time lol.
We had the greatest trash TV
Judge Judy
And you know you could always go on Ricki Lake
The best was from the 80’s, the Morton Downey Jr show. He was the inspiration for Jerry and all the other ones.
Remember when Jerry Springer was actually a decent talk show, before it became the hot trash it came to be known for later. I do, it was unwatchable at a point because it was so blatantly fake. A friend of mine knew someone who was paid to be on to play a different character lol.
It's also why so many people are regarded.
I remember this. The producers set this up for maximum shock or "drama". Well, they got more than they bargained for...a man lost his life. Sick and sad.
Two men lost their lives.
@@rigelb9025One of them literally died while the other faced the legal consequences for killing him. He’s not even in prison anymore. John gets to live his life, Scott does not
@@kaylaclark3660 He still lost a good portion of his life, figuratively speaking.
@@rigelb9025 he went to prison for taking a life. Unfortunately, you can’t premeditate a murder just because they asked you out
@@kaylaclark3660 I'm not saying he did well to commit the act. That was a stupid thing to do. However, the other party was engaging in what could easily be seen as harassment. He was allegedly relentless & persistent in his pursuit. Which can drive someone insane.
I also listened to a clip where it was noted that shortly after the show, Jonathan was constantly bullied and harassed on his job about being gay.
The murder happened three days after the show was taped, but the episode never aired... I'm guessing that when Jonathan told his family especially his homophobic dad about the taping of the show that his dad started giving him a whole bunch of guff,, you shoulda knocked his block off you shoulda kicked his ass yada yada yada... So when Jonathan gets that ridiculously perverted note about the tool, obviously he just snapped and what's surprising to me is after he went to the gun store (this is Michigan remember, and I'm guessing Jonathan tried to buy a pistol at first but was told about the 2 day waiting period so just settled for the shotgun which was probably much more expensive) and finding out he didn't have enough money and then going and getting a loan from the bank, why his anger didn't cool off in the meantime... My point is the jury and the judge were incredibly lenient allowing a second-degree conviction, since premeditation was obviously involved and Jonathan didn't have to actually eliminate Scott to "get even" ......
@@micnorton9487the show did air....I watched it as a kid and remember this episode
@@chrisanderson1-66 Then why does every wiki entry say that episode was "shelved" and the only airing EVER was for Court TV DURING the civil trial brought by Scott's family against the Jenny Jones producers ?...
@@chrisanderson1-66
From wikipedia -
Revealing Same Sex Secret Crush"[i] is an episode of the American first-run syndicated talk show The Jenny Jones Show. Taped on March 6, 1995, in Chicago, Illinois, the episode was intended to air in May 1995 as part of the show's fourth season. The episode featured six guests who were invited to meet a self-proclaimed secret admirer. The guests, however, were not directly informed that their secret admirers were all of the same sex as them. Each secret admirer publicly revealed their crush to a guest, with presenter Jenny Jones interviewing the two afterwards. Three days after the episode was taped, one of the guests, Jonathan Schmitz, killed his secret admirer, Scott Amedure. As a result, the episode was shelved and Schmitz was charged with first-degree murder. The episode was eventually broadcast on October 17, 1996, as part of Court TV's coverage of an ensuing civil trial against The Jenny Jones Show.
@@chrisanderson1-66 Revealing Same Sex Secret Crush"[i] is an episode of the American first-run syndicated talk show The Jenny Jones Show. Taped on March 6, 1995, in Chicago, Illinois, the episode was intended to air in May 1995 as part of the show's fourth season. The episode featured six guests who were invited to meet a self-proclaimed secret admirer. The guests, however, were not directly informed that their secret admirers were all of the same sex as them. Each secret admirer publicly revealed their crush to a guest, with presenter Jenny Jones interviewing the two afterwards. Three days after the episode was taped, one of the guests, Jonathan Schmitz, killed his secret admirer, Scott Amedure. As a result, the episode was shelved and Schmitz was charged with first-degree murder. The episode was eventually broadcast on October 17, 1996, as part of Court TV's coverage of an ensuing civil trial against The Jenny Jones Show.
When I was 16, my 18 year old friend told me he was gay and attracted to me. I told him that I wasn’t but we could still be friends-and we were.
Some years later, he was murdered in a hate crime in Texas. His killer was given the death penalty and eventually executed.
His name was Mike Burzinski and he was super nice and a very smart guy.
I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I think that we (LGBT+) community are so happy that things have changed. Not a lot but it was better than before..... Hate crimes still happen, sadly. We have a long way to go.
💜🙏💜
I highly doubt that.
@@lindinle”Nothing happens to anyone ever and no one has complicated lives at all and everyone is lying to me always even when they have nothing to gain” is a sad, bizarre way to live.
Looked up his story. Sorry about your friend.
I remember everyone talking about this case! Actually this case really changed the format of a lot of those day time 90s talk shows, and apparently the family of the one that was killed sued the Jenny jones show and won, but they still haven’t received any money and apparently it was appealed now. This was just a sad case overall
I think they sued for 71 million but were awarded 25 million if I remember right. Looks like they won the appeal and it was overturned in 2002 😞
i was about to say if anyone needed to sue and get paid it was scotts family, but alas sound like jenny got away with it and was able to enjoy her ratings
I mean…he clearly covered this already in the video!
@@Grinix0 Interestingly enough, I just saw that Jones still has her show's website up and it's current as she posted a blog not too long ago.
WAIT !?COULDN'T HE JUST REFUSED TO GO ON THE SHOW.....
I do think that Johnathan could have handled the situation differently, but I don’t think that Johnathan would have EVER did this if he wasn’t humiliated on TV AND Scott didn’t continue to secksually come on to him even after Johnathan said he wasn’t interested.
Donna was dead wrong, PERIOD
All 3 of them were wrong
I think the most wrong person is the murderer
@@simplekid4328damn bro you in every comment defending the queer who was stalking and harassing him
@@simplekid4328Incorrect
@@12MRJERSEY you're right... We should blame others for ones own actions. That's how a competent mind works
I grew up during this time where if you stayed home from school, this is what you watched. A lot of those topics were seriously messed up and exploitive but man, this one was just tragic.
Me too. I remember watching Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake, Montel Williams, Maury, and even Sally Jesse Raphael. They were all trash television and entertaining, of course. I don't recall seeing this episode myself.
The guy was embarrassed on national tv and yet politely refused the mans advances, but that wasnt enough, he then left him that smutty note?! He shouldn't have killed him but it was all pretty fucked up.
Jerry Springer himself , spoke about taking responsibility for one's own actions but who in the production crew took responsibility. Everyone should be held accountable including the female friend and just because they are in the entertainment industry their role was swept under the rug as usual.
jerry even had his own murder from their show..its on a docu on YT called TALKED TO DEATH.
Jerry is a huge hypocrite same with Howard stern
Well actually it's because Jenny Jones didn't pull a trigger
Let’s be real, Jonathan is a grown ass man that knows the law… he is 100% at fault.
@@bluex217oh no you don't get to have that defense, otherwise Charles Manson should be freed and payed for all the years he spent behind bars for crimes somebody else committed.
Lesson:
Don't position people in surprising situations that are embarrassing and exploitive of their character.
You reap what you sow.
Welcome to the 90s talk show trash tv!
When someone tells you they are not interested in you in a romantic way, that should be the end of it. It's not right whether heterosexual or homosexual it doesn't matter. Don't try to force yourself on someone. I'm not saying it's ok to kill someone, obviously, just saying in general.
That show really played stupid games....and they won a stupid prize. Exploitation doesn't tend to end well
The show had no repercussions other than time and money spent in court...they didn't win any stupid prizes. They got off scott free. No pun intended.
@that.ll_do_pig I mean, court of public opinion. But yea, no legal consequences
Edit: love the pun
@@that.ll_do_pig the show was very quickly cancelled...they won a stupid prize. And now, nobody knows who Jenny Jones is except for this incident. She's known for nothing else if she's even known at all.
@TheMessiahPraiseMe that excuses soooo much accountability. Just bc you sell a product ppl want, it doesn't absolve you of the ethical considerations and due process. That's why this changed, bc ppl saw the stupid prizes and thought twice about the value of this content.
Lead paint and asbestos insulation was also what the people wanted. Glad we educated ourselves
Scott was a creep. He didn't deserve to be killed (maybe beaten up to teach him a lesson seeing as words weren't working) but if a straight man tells you "No." you leave him TF alone. You don't stalk and continue pursuing him. Hell I'm gay and have had crushes on straight men I work with and I will never tell them about it because I respect their sexuality and I know that door is not opened.
“Flirtatious note”
More like creepy AF; what the hell?
The UK talk show "Jeremy Kyle" has a similar dark history. Number of guests "deleted" themselves
It aired. I know they keep denying that they aired the episodes. But i saw the episodes the first time it aired on television. He was so excited about having a secret admirer that it showed. He was hoping it was this girl from the coffee shop or someone from work. When the gay guy came out, he was clearly upset, since the guy had hitted on him previously and he flat out told him he wasn't interested. Yet the guy kept pursuing him even after he told him he was straight. 😢
Yes. I remember watching it as well. I don't know why people insist on saying it didn't. I remember seeing the news about the murder and thinking how I'd seen it on TV. There was another case on a court show where a woman took her ex to court, and after that, she came up missing. I don't remember how that turned out.
Yes you’re right ! I remember watching it a day that I didn’t go to school because I was sick.
I saw it, too.
@@willowthistle3648 It aired . I wish I had kept all my old VHS. It annoys me that they keep lying about the episode airing. They pulled it only after the incident,and they came under fire for it.
I saw it too, I was a small child, but I remembered it because it was the first time I remember hearing about a man liking another man and how shocked that I was as a clueless child. My parents were upset when I told my parents, and they learned that the babysitter allowed me to watch any talk shows.
It definitely aired.
For such a controversial topic, I appreciate how even-handed you were throughout the course of your video: just laid out the facts and respected your viewers’ intelligence, maturity, and ability to reach their own conclusions.
Well done and much appreciated.
I'm so glad Mo Collins spit-roasted JJ by playing her on Mad TV back in the day...
My take away from this is how much I've forgotten how bad talk shows from the 90s were .... Great vid as always Kyle
They were genuinely dire
A sexual predator harrassed and humiliated a man constantly till he snapped.
A lot of people are pumped up by the show to act a certain way, to antagonize another person. Happens all the time, this time with tragic results.
Imagine a man harassing a woman the same way… he would clearly receive a visit from the guys in blue . But as it happened to a man , he was supposed to just accept it and move on , that’s how society sees the things . No one was aware that man was extremely uncomfortable? His forced smiles and body language speaks volumes .
@@thematrixwillfindyou ; good god yall need to stop with the gender reversal sht. "if it was the other way around" shows you actually have no idea what happens when women are harassed despite it happening constantly. cops ignore us until the stalker gets physical and/or kills us. THATS what happens.
the homophobia and misogyny in these comments is truly disturbing. harassment is repeated unwanted contact. they werent even at home long enough for it to become harassment. it was a note most likely to test the waters now that they werent under a spotlight. time and time again men will violently lash out over trivial things like a crush or rejection and everyone will bend over backwards to do a mental cirque de soleil to justify his behavior and push responsibility onto anyone else (typically the nearest woman or other minority).
@@thematrixwillfindyouyour first statement isn’t true at all. Look up the actual experiences of women who are harassed by men.
@@thematrixwillfindyouthat’s what we deal with everyday and sometimes it’s fatal if we speak up. Apples and oranges dude.. it’s predatory
Everyone is always quick to judge while they forget to see what media like this is doing to people.
When you think about it, the evolution of this kind of show is the comment sections on social media. People chiming in on videos of real people who may or may not even have agreed to have their lives exposed for entertainment. Our society is still just as cruel and blood thirsty.
It's even worse now. Much worse.
This was very well done. I was friends with Jon, as I worked with him at my parents restaurant. In fact, they both testified as his character witnesses at trial. And you aren't kidding about the media, they were vultures and parked across the street from the restaurant for days trying to get any of us to talk about him. It was a terrible tragedy that never should have happened.
It's so refreshing to hear words like sexual assault not being censored, thank you for not patronising us.
A lot of channels do that for fear of demonetization, but I agree completely sometimes words get censored that I don’t think should be.
It’s not about patronizing, it’s about the money.
@@bewareofsasquatch disgusting. It's always about the money.
The show should have informed about the sex of the crush, letting the guest decide in prior if he wants to have fun with the subject.
YES
What if it's a transwoman
@@e_i_e_i_brooh, these shows have pulled that sh** too! Any ratings for “making fun” of a marginalized group of ppl was fodder back in the 90s! They ALL did this & ppl were shocked! My gma used to turn it off when I watched these shows. Sally Jesse Raphael was my go to show w/ “wild out of control teens who need taught a lesson.” Crazy ass titles like that.
@@e_i_e_i_bro It's so absurd we have to use words that mask reality for the benefit of delusional people.
@@CAHSR2020it’s so absurd that people living their life bothers you so much that you have to talk ill about them. It’s absurd that we’ve progressed so far with this topic, that trans people exist and how now they can finally be legally recognized only for people blessed enough not to question themselves and be comfortable in their own bodies to call it “absurd” and “delusional”. If you hate them so much, keep yourself out of those spaces. If you find it hard to, maybe it’s time to look inside yourself and realize it’s not delusion but your ignorance.
As a queer person, discussing Jonathan in that manner on national television was disgusting. Not only that, but not taking no for an answer after humiliating the man on live television, but again asking him with that innapropriate letter? He did not deserve to die at all and there were other ways to handle his insistent behavior. But he acted entirely out of line and behaved like a complete creep.
I remember this, it was bullshit and the jj show should have been held responsible. I was happy when she was canceled.
You ride a slippery slope there. You're going to punish for words? Nawww. That's bullshit.
@@pennyp7382freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences
This was such a sad, fu*ked up situation! And Jenny Jones, as well as everyone that had a part in this, was wrong as Hell! I'm non-straight myself!! And firstly, I have a big problem with people trying to make moves on people that they know are either heterosexual, or just flat put not interested! And for them to bring them both on TC, and then ask the guy to detail his naughty fantasies, was just vile! They had no care how any of this would effect the human beings they used, once they'd left the studio! And here we saw a worst case scenario! I hope that they successfully sued!
Thanks for covering this one. Unbelievably I lived a couple trailers down from the murder scene in the early 2000’s. While I was there the maintenance man burned his trailer down with his wife inside. It was assumed an accident but later in life I met the victims grandson when we both worked at the Chrysler dealership in Rochester Hills, and he informed me he did it. Amazingly my sister’s husband was friends with Rude Jude at Rochester high. He was a regular audience member on JJ. It’s a crazy world folks.
"After the murder, more people tuned in to watch a similar catastrophe play out." @26:24
They were in luck because every episode feels like a train wreck.
My god that reporter hounding him after his release was just sickening. That was one of the worst reporters I've seen.
Lots of reporters are like this, it's so gross. They do it to everyone and anyone who gets popular over something, it's so so sick 🤢
I do not understand why men, gay or straight, think its ok to sexually harass ppl and feign its just flirting. Then they are surprised when the offended party retaliates. He didn't deserve to die, but if he genuinely cared about Jonathan, hed have been sensitive to his feelings.
My thoughts exactly
❤
Women do this too.
@@vinny1883 and even moreso because they get away with the focus only being on men that do it
@@vinny1883yeah I was about to say women do this exact thing. Lord help you if you reject a woman and she’s into you. She can and will ruin your life.
Why was Scott sexually harassing Jonathan? Once he told him he wasn’t interested, he should have left him alone.
It was NOT pulled. I saw this episode. It may have been pulled from reruns, bit it did air.
Jonathan is unhinged, but Scott did overstep his boundaries.
yeah
I'm all the way in the Philippines and specifically remember the guy saying, "You lied to me!" while smiling. Even as a kid back then, it all felt so awkward. Years later, I would be watching an earlier channel that featured this case.
28:00 the squeelings of a pathetic individual. I'd say the family reached really well in that clip.
Why would someone pursue, stalk, and harass someone after making it clear they have no interest? The talk show wasn't enough? Why would he continue to pursue the guy afterward?
Fr it's creepy as hell
Cause the guy was clearly at the least a stalker and seems to me more like a predator. Gay men can be predators
@@harryparsons2750 agreed
They don't care that you're not interested. They're not interested in recognising that you're not interested. They only care about their desires. I went through this with a woman who was relentless.
This is just as much a case about how being an abusive parent leads to PTSD in children. I have a dad like that, and his 'authority' and vindictiveness if he had realised (or just suspected) my brother was gay would've been enough to trigger a reaction like this. The dad was the homophobe, and his sh*tty narcissism/lack of self-control led to social disease in the next generation. And there's millions of these people at any given moment, seeding fear and hate into those younger/weaker/disadvantaged... be careful and don't lean in to melodrama.
I was looking for this comment! John's family is unhinged!! I bet they never got him help for his bipolar disorder.
Very well said! Strength to any kids today growing up in a closed minded controlling crap famil, I hope the learn that they can be free and choose their own families and become truly happy.
100% my thoughts, thank you!
my dad is the same way.
The sad thing is that the gay panic defense was not "made up", it was based on legitimate uncontrollable feelings and reactions. It's no different than any other mental illness or defect especially when it was drilled into children of that generation. People are allowed to use "crimes of passion" which is the same thing.
Donna did a terrible thing. She treated the situation like it was a joke, and played with people's lives. She should have been charged... with something, I guess I sound silly here. And the show committed fraud to set him up. Despicable. That poor guy was put on the spot. THEN, the one guy pushed the other one over the edge.
Yeah you do sound silly here. Perhaps reexamine your position a little bit. In the span of one comment, you charged someone who didn’t commit a crime with… something. You falsely accused a company of fraud. Victim blamed a murder victim and victim of a hate crime. And, you sympathized with a murderer, who committed said hate crime.
This guy went to someone’s house, someone who was no threat to him, and killed them in cold blood. Then, he blamed it on a tv show. He deserved the worst they could give him.
delusional and weird opinion
@@herogibson I didn't "charge" Donna, I just feel her meddling caused that. It IS fraud to tell someone one thing when it's not completely true. They misled that guy, for views. Not at all right to kill someone, but when someone says they aren't interested, why keep on? Why not just let him be? Should he just put up with unwanted attention because someone might call him homophobic? I have to say, Donna started it, and walked away from it, and that isn't right IMO, which you didn't change at all.
Blaming the woman for the males actions 🤡
@@beccastroh8852 No, just holding her accountable. Rewatch it. She meddled in something that had devastating results. Now a man is dead, another is in prison, and she's walking away unscathed. I hope she at least learned a lesson.
People need to respect boundaries. Period. No means no. That's sexual harassment. No two ways about it. No, it doesn't justify taking life, however, don't get it twisted..he had it coming. If someone tells you no, get lost.
What Scott did was just weird asf and clearly he didn't care about Johnathan's boundaries but.. i feel like killing the mf is an overreaction-
You FEEL LIKE??? You mean it IS an overreaction
@@Lffewgj He didn't overreacted. He did what was natural when he was confronted with something that was unnatural 💯
After the show, Scott sending that letter was insane.
Smh
I do sympathize with Scott though. He was traumatized in his own way and that is something that can't be measured. You don't know how someone would react to stuff like that
Yeah no one’s really calling out that Scott clearly had no respect for someone’s boundaries and felt that he could what he wanted. What he was doing aggressively pursuing someone who wasn’t gay and wasn’t comfortable with it was very wrong.
@@kwanholloway4112traumatized?? He publicly talked about a guy as if he was a sex object and harrased him
and of course there is the weird letter
That guy was a creep
If you grew up in the 90's this "trash tv" was alot of people guilty pleasure. Jenny Jones show was really tamed compared to other talk shows at the time, so it was surprising to hear someone get murdered🧐. This case was the Talk Show Death Nail.
Still sexually harassing him after he told you no is asking for trouble
Thank you for covering this. The entire thing is a sad situation and your video helped explain it better than any others I’ve heard. ;x;
Why is it okay for a gay person to harass a straight person who just wants to be left alone? Then he’s labeled homophobic?
it's NOT okay
All on Donna. Should of kept it a buck with both of them. Scott should have backed off after the show and Johnathan seemed willing to keep the friendship just needed time and had his dad in his ear questioning his sexuality. Which gassed him up. I wasn't comfortable saying i was gay til i was in my 20s. Ish sad. Dont trick people, dont spread people's business. And the most important if someone aint feeling you like you want to. Leave it alone. Straight and gay people. Yall be safe out there and Great content
Spot on.
I was in high school in 95 when this happened, It was my junior year. I was a huge news story at that time.
Now we don't need trash TV to ruin people's lives, social media can do it even better
I’m so glad you covered this if anyone’s interested in learning more about talk shows watch the UA-cam documentary talked to death
Oooh thank you, I’m going to check that out ❤ Trial by media on Netflix is pretty good too
Living for this editing style!
This isnt homophobia this was sexual harassment. Murder was obviously wrong but that Scott dude was well on his way to getting at least his ass kicked for continuing to pursue a straight dude who had already turned him down and not respecting boundaries.
My dad told me about this episode back in 2009. I didn’t know who the hell Janey Jones was (that’s how I thought he pronounced her name) but I don’t remember him describing to me about the sexual assault. All I remember him saying was that a guy told another guy he was gay and he was attracted to him and he killed him after the show. I remember my 15 yr old self praised the man for killing the gay man and my dad said that’s not something to cheer about. Now I’m still against homosexuality today but I am a hypocrite because I am bisexual.
Every society that loses its moral compass eventually fails. This is what's happening now.
I could not agree more. My exact thoughts during most of this video.
When did society have an intact moral compass???
@@jvang2293 he probably thinks we were moral during slavery
Yes right now it is like that unfortunately. God help us all.
@@jvang2293bruh I agree there’s always been murders crimes and everything but in terms of the people with moral compasses they are at a low. People are too busy fighting other people
He was ok with a gay friend, but not ok with humiliation and lies.
Does that somehow make his murder justifiable?
@@Lutoria99it doesn’t but you know these people on here are going to always find a reason to justify something. i keep seeing people say Scott kept harassing him after the show but it was 1 letter left on his door. although i do agree that after the outcome of the show, he should’ve left Johnathon alone. he didn’t deserve to be murdered for it
@@Lutoria99and when did he say that bud?
@@Lutoria99yes
I have heard this story before but never to this depth with so many details! Thank you for an excellent video!! Keep them coming ❤
Hey there, been a sub for a while, i remember watching these shows when i was younger, it was literally like bear baiting! Im from England and seeing all these American “talk” shows i just thought they were wild! We didn’t have anything like this is England and it gave such an unflattering image of America/Americans! I obviously know that these people are NOT your average American, and it was all just sensationalist, but for people to die over these shows is utterly tragic! Thank goodness these shows fell out of popularity.
We had a show over here called Jeremy Kyle show where a man ended his life after he did a lie detector and failed it even though he claimed innocence, after that happened the show was cancelled.
Thanks for all the work you do on these vids keep up the good work. ❤
The UK has its own Jenny Jones show; except it’s for real . The Monarchy. 😂
@@mikeyincalif is it real though? More soap opera than talk show me thinks.
@@mikeyincalif And we have our own crazy reality show in Washington.😁
Wow. This is exactly why I always watch your videos even if it's a story I've heard before.. You always have more details that I've never heard, No matter what the story is, it always has more information than other channels. Plus your style is more engaging because it's not all filled with free stock videos & doesn't come off as copied & pasted like most other channels. Thanks for your hard work, you're definitely 1 of my favorite channels. ❤
I am disgusted that the judgement against the Jenny Jones show was overturned. Absolutely disgraceful
Being LGBTQ+ does not give you a free pass to stalk/sexually harass others you have a crush of, especially they had already rejected your advances. Scott learned on this the hard way. No excuses.
It's as disappointing as it is predictable that ppl ascribe this to "homophobia" when it is so obviously a victim of sexual harassment and deceit. Of course his response was far more criminal than those who instigated the event, it's vital to keep in perspective that sexual harassment and "friendly" deceit has consequences.
Being hit on is sexual harassment then?
@@curtisowen3233when you express a direct rejection, yes
Agreed! Jonathan had no problem with Scott being gay and was friends with him. The problem was Scott not respecting boundaries after being told no on live TV. It's creepy when someone continues to hit on you after you've told them you're not interested
@@curtisowen3233especially in the workplace, where you can't simply leave the location.
@@curtisowen3233if you don’t want it then YES absolutely
Who the hell makes friends picking up strangers on the side of the road.
Desperate people.
Smaller towns, people you see all the time. She could have known somebody who knew somebody, or whatnot. I know neighbors who I only see "at the side of the road" because they live on my street or within a few streets and I've stopped to help them for that reason.
Life before internet. This is how you met people.
You must be young. Hitch-hiking was very common in the 80s, and they lived in a small town.
@@MattyBladesah yea then many got killed by serial killer yes?
As a gay person myself, I DO NOT consider this a hate crime. This was a person with an underlying mental illness who was constantly being set up by his one "friend", Donna, lied to by said "friend" and the producers to get him on the show, being constantly needled by the host and the unfortunate victim. The note left on Johnathan's car was the spark that triggered the fuse. I'm not saying Scott deserved to die, because he didn't. I'm just saying that Jonathan was a barrel full of gun powder, and EVRYONE else were the sparks that set it off. I also believe that the lawsuit appeal should have been denied. At the very least, by their actions, and lying to Jonathan to get him on the show, they knew full well that they were setting up a possible disaster, knowing something like this happening could actually boost their ratings. Jonathan's lawyers should have gone with the insanity plea. I actually believed it was fitting in this case. Unfortunately, the show's nefarious stunt is, in my opinion, partly responsible for some very bad crimes later on. The assault and murder of Brandon Teena, and the murder of Matthew Sheppard. And now, thanks to Jussie Smollett and his fake hate crime complaints, it's going to be harder for victims of actual hate crimes to get justice, because of that, and other fake hate crimes that have been perpetrated recently. Time to get smarter talk shows on that aren't about paternity tests and who is cheating on who with someone's goat.
honestly, I feel bad for
jonathon...he was ambushed...then told the guy how he felt...and then gets a sexually implied letter cause obviously someone didnt get the hint.
I 100% believe if Scott as told this not in front of millions....he would of handled it and not ever shot the guy.
Sorry the man was killed....but I personally blame the show more then anyone.
Jenny Jones, the executives, Donna, and Scott are to blame. When Scott found out that Johnathan wasn't gay. The sexual harassment, betrayal, public humiliation is abhorrent. He shouldnt have killed the guy either
Exactly right! 💯 There are no excuses for murder, but the reality is murder happens every day.
And people will try to say it’s because he was gay was the reason behind his death but Jonathan literally was going to continue to be his friend after he found out he was gay. Scott just wanted to force him to be attracted to him
It's unfair to call this man homophobic. He was not. He know his friend was gay and didn't care. It would have been one thing to say you liked him but to be so vulgar and then continue to be vulgar and harass this man.
Literally stated that he killed him because he was gay.