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Povich and Chung went ‘viral’ for their fertility woes, the TV host said
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Maury Povich opened up about the ‘surreal’ experience of seeing Jim Carrey play him on In Living Color
Carrey did an impression of Povich in a sketch about Povich and Chung’s fertility struggles
After trying to get pregnant for years, the couple adopted a baby in 1995
Maury Povich remembers the “surreal” experience of Jim Carrey playing him during a sketch on In Living Color that mocked Povich and wife Connie Chung‘s real fertility struggles.
Povich, 87, opened up about the experience in a July 21 interview with Entertainment Weekly. At the time, Povich’s eponymous talk show (which became famous for its paternity tests) was only a few seasons old, having premiered in 1991. Povich had already had a strong career in TV journalism, appearing on local TV stations and then Fox’s A Current Affair. In 1984, he married Chung, 79, who was a national anchor. In 1989, she began hosting on CBS News.
In July 1990, Chung announced she was cutting back on her work schedule to focus on getting pregnant. Then 44, she said in an announcement that her doctors told her she needed to take “a very aggressive approach” to getting pregnant.
“It was way back, Connie had to quit her big nighttime show on CBS called Eye to Eye With Connie Chung because we were trying to have a baby. And it kind of went viral that she was going to do this,” Povich told EW.
Instead of treating her and Povich’s pregnancy struggles with care, the pair were widely mocked in the media and on late-night shows, including on In Living Color, which had premiered on Fox in 1990.
In a 1992 episode of the show, Carrey, 64, played Maury in a sketch called “We Want Maury.” The comedy skit opened with Carrey, in a white-haired wig, lying in bed when Chung — played by actor Stephen Park in drag — comes into the room to tell Povich she isn’t pregnant again. From there, the sketch parodied the 2 Live Crew song “Me So Horny,” changing the lyrics to be about Povich and Chung’s quest to have a baby.
Park’s Chung sang, “I quit my job in news because I want to have a child / now I spend my days at home driving Maury wild.”
“It became fodder for the late-night TV shows and stuff, about Connie and I trying to have a baby, and what goes into that,” Povich said. “And then In Living Color, Jim Carrey played me jumping on Connie in a bed... It was this big skit at the time, and I’ve got Jim Carey playing me. It was surreal.”
In later years, Povich would continue to see himself parodied on shows like Saturday Night Live, South Park and other late-night shows, mostly for his TV hijinks (and those paternity tests).
“I’m always pleased,” Povich said about more general parodies of him. “To the point where — how can I say this? — I’m just surprised that so many people know me.”
But back in 1993, Povich and Chung both opened up to PEOPLE about their ongoing struggles to get pregnant. “It hasn’t been easy for us,” Chung said. “It’s been difficult.”
Povich added, “We’ve been disappointed, but we’re not discouraged.”
The couple ultimately decided to adopt son Matthew Jay Povich in 1995. Povich also had two daughters, Susan and Amy, from his first marriage.
“Gosh, I wish we had done it earlier,” Povich told TV Guide in 2000 of adopting their son. “She deserved a child the moment she wanted a child.”
Read the original article on People
