Povich hosted his talk show, “Maury,” beginning in 1991.

Why Maury Povich was ‘pissed off’ after the New York Times called him about prewriting his obituary

Povich hosted his talk show, "Maury," beginning in 1991.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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May 8, 2026 8:26 p.m. ET

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Maury Povich in 2019. Credit:

Monica Schipper/Getty

- Maury Povich, 87, says the *New York Times* has already written his obituary.

- The former *Maury* host said he was "pissed off" that he wasn't allowed to read the story.

- *The New York Times *says prewritten obituaries are "are only finalized and published after the subjects are deceased."

Maury Povich, 87, is curious about what people are going to say about him when he dies.

The former talk show host — infamously known for his catch phrase, "You are *not *the father" — says he's even been working on his obituary.

"I get a call from the *New York Times* about four or five years ago, and this guy who I find out later on is a terrific writer is calling me because they want to write my obit," Povich said Friday on the *Founder's Story** *podcast. "And I went, 'Oh, wow. This is interesting.' So, I've spent the last couple of years talking to the *New York Times* about my obituary, which is written."

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Not all of the process was fun for Povich.

"The only thing I've got very pissed off about was I finally asked the writer, 'How about can I see it? Can I see my obit? I would love to see my obit,'" Povich explained. "Said, 'We can't show you that. Are you kidding me? This is the *New York Times*. We don't show people what we write.' I said, 'Does that mean I'm going to have to read about it after I die?'"

"The only thing I've got very pissed off about was I finally asked the writer, 'How about can I see it? Can I see my obit? I would love to see my obit,'" Povich explained. "Said, 'We can't show you that. Are you kidding me? This is the *New York Times*. We don't show people what we write.' I said, 'Does that mean I'm going to have to read about it after I die?'"

But the longtime TV staple took it all in stride.

Maury Povich hosts his talk show in 1991.

Courtesy Everett

"You know what I said to myself?" he recounted. "'Well, then if that's the case, let's have the funeral right now so that everybody can stand up and say all these things about me and I can listen.'"

A spokesperson for the *New York Times* told * *in a statement, "*Times* obituaries are written by *Times *journalists. Our writers research and report the full lives of the subjects of obituaries, but they are only finalized and published after the subjects are deceased."

Media outlets routinely prepare obituaries for celebrities before their deaths, particularly those who've been in the entertainment industry for a long time. Povich certainly qualifies.

Maury Povich tells Ricki Lake why she 'scared the s---' out of other talk show hosts

Maury Povich watches reruns of his show when he can't remember who the father is

His talk show, Maury, debuted in 1991 and ran through 2022, after more than 30 seasons of episodes.

"Six years ago when I was ready to retire, my the NBCUniversal family asked me to continue the show," Povich told Deadline in March 2022 ahead of the finale. "Even though I told them I was ready for assisted living, out of loyalty to NBCUniversal and my more than 100 staff and crew members, Tracie Wilson and I agreed to one more deal. I'm so proud of my relationship with NBCUniversal and all those who worked on the *Maury* show but as I occasionally tell my guests on Maury, 'Enough, already!'"

Povich has been married to journalist Connie Chung since 1984.

Watch Povich's full conversation above.

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