Maury Povich, best known for his tabloid talk show Maury, which aired from 1991 to 2022, recently appeared on The View, where he discussed his iconic on-air paternity test reveals. These segments were among the most popular moments on television at the time. During the conversation, Povich revealed that one particular paternity test made him stop guessing the results altogether.
Maury Povich talks about the most shocking paternity test result from his TV show
The View hosts asked Maury Povich about the famous segment on his eponymous show. He revealed the results of paternity tests live on air.
“First of all, you have to understand that, I’d say in the beginning of the late 80s through the 2000s, there were 20 of us on air every day, and another 50 shows were in the graveyard that didn’t work,” Povich told The View co-hosts (via PEOPLE), “And so it was so competitive. And we were all pushing the envelope.” He explained how they needed racier things to keep working.
The View host Sonny Hostin noted that no one could top Povich’s segment, which featured his iconic lines such as, “You are not the father” and “Yes, you are the father.”
Povich explained, “Well, the reason why it was that kind of inflection was I didn’t know the result. I didn’t want to know anything more than the guest or the audience because I would skew the questions.” He added that he wanted his reaction on stage to be genuine, which is why he avoided learning the results beforehand.
Host Ana Navarro then asked Povich how many times he had correctly guessed the father. Povich responded by recalling one specific incident. “I gave up trying to figure it out when I saw this woman come on,” he shared, “And she was white, and the guy she was accusing of being the father was Black. And that baby picture came on, and that was a dead white baby.”
Amid laughter, host Whoopi Goldberg clarified, “The baby wasn’t dead.”
The veteran television personality continued, “It was as white as it could be. And of course, the Black guy ends up being the father!” Povich stopped making guesses after that moment. However, it did not stop audiences, both in the studio and at home, from trying to predict the results themselves.
The conversation later shifted to why guests were willing to share deeply personal aspects of their lives on television. Povich explained that many participants viewed the show as a safe space. This encouraged them to speak openly and seek closure.