Name: 26 Darkest TV Moments of Each Year (2000 - 2025)
Uploaded: 2026-01-09T17:02:32.000Z
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WWWE superstar Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their son Daniel are dead.

Welcome to watchmojo and today we're recounting the real life tragedies, scandals and dark events involving TV shows, TV productions or television personalities in the first 26 years of the 2000s.

We won't be including live televised tragedies since they're worth their own list.

The network will be ending the Late show in May 2000.

Jerry Springer's guest Murdered Nothing was too wild or chaotic for Jerry Springer's show, but

what happens when tense daytime television results in murder?

In 2000, Springer filmed a special episode called Secret Mistresses Confronted where couples caught being unfaithful can duke it out for our entertainment.

One particular segment featured a heated argument between Ralph Panitz and his wife Eleanor Panitz and ex wife Nancy Campbell Panitz.

Ralph and I are trying to restore our marriage and this trailer trash won't leave us alone.

Hours after the broadcast, Nancy was found dead.

Coincidentally, Ralph was trying to flee to Canada after being wanted for murder, but

he couldn't escape and was sentenced to life in prison.

While Springer can't be blamed for Panitz's actions, there's a fine line between entertainment and plen with fire.

Jerry Springer, he just kind of blew it off.

2001 Shusha park fire During the 1990s, Brazilian pop star Shousha hosted her children's program, appropriately titled Shusha Park.

its time on the airwaves came to a screeching halt when a fire broke out on stage.

The fire spread out of control and the horrifying incident was caught on camera.

Miraculously, there were no casualties, but

many audience members were seriously injured and Shousha was traumatized by the ordeal.

The network was kind enough to fund the victim's recovery, but

the set was completely destroyed and the show was canceled.

After seeing the horrors captured on film, are we that surprised?

2002 Michael Jackson's balcony Incident despite his crown as the King of Pop, Michael Jackson had garnered some controversy due to several allegations about his eccentric personality.

There was also the mystery of the mother of his youngest son, blanket Jackson.

In 2002, one particular incident stirred the pot even more as Jackson was seen dangling his infant child over his hotel balcony.

Thankfully, Blanket was unharmed and eventually changed his name to Biggie Jackson, while Michael insisted that he never meant any harm and only wanted to show his son to the fans.

It was a shocking sight at the time and has remained in the memories of former fans long after The King of Pop's tragic passing in 2009.

2003 John Ritter's passing throughout his life, John Ritter delighted viewers and co stars with his brand of comedy.

One of his most recent roles was Paul Hennessey, the overprotective father on the sitcom Eight Simple Rules.

I just wanted to give Bridget a kiss goodbye.

However, in late 2003, during rehearsal, Ritter was suddenly rushed to the hospital and treated for a supposed heart attack.

It turned out to be an aortic dissection and Ritter passed away during surgery.

It's not yet known what led to Ritter's condition, but

common causes are high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blunt trauma like a car accident.

Months later, season two of 8 Simple Rules aired a two parter in which Ritter's character died off screen and the emotions on display hit even harder.

Knowing what had brought on this sudden change to the series, he would say anything.

2004 extreme makeover lawsuit Extreme Makeover was a reality show that boasted that it could turn any ordinary person beautiful.

They couldn't accommodate everyone, but one particular rejection ended in TR Turn around, Look in the mirror.

In 2004, a Texas woman named Elyse Williams was slated to appear on the show.

Producers arrived at her hometown and goaded family members into saying awful things about Williams physical appearance.

Her family was interviewed and were instructed to make very harsh comments about Delisa's appearance.

Delys sister Kelly was devastated over the mean comments she made and took her own life.

The family sued the show afterwards and the matter was settled out of court.

This little stunt likely contributed to its eventual downfall.

2005 Bill Cosby revelations Once upon a time, you could hear the name Bill Cosby and not wince in discomfort.

Haven't you ever noticed after people have some of my barbecue sauce, after a while when it kicks in, they get all huggy buggy.

For the longest time, he had gained the reputation of America's dad with his style of ComEd.

In 2005, said reputation took a sour turn when a criminal investigation was launched against him.

Several women came Forward saying that Mr.

Cosby had sexually violated them for decades, using substances to knock them unconscious.

I've never seen Anything like this, a particularly heinous violation the year before, was the last straw, and

Cosby's crimes were now out in the open for all to see before he was finally arrested in 2018.

Anything with Cosby's name attached to it was sullied, thanks to his despicable actions.

2006 Steve Irwin's passing since the 1990s, television personality and animal conservationist Steve Irwin delighted and educated us as the Crocodile Hunter.

I'm Steve Irwin, and I'm taking you into the heart of Dragon territory.

His dedication to protecting and teaching others about animals was nothing short of inspirational.

Tragically, his era came to a sudden end in 2006 while filming at the Great Barrier Reef.

He was filming a stingray when Barb suddenly pierced him in the heart.

The crew was sadly unable to save him, and he bled to death.

Today, the world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist, and

Any footage recorded of his death was never shown publicly and likely destroyed, which is for the best, as witnessing the very final moments of a beloved icon is just too much for anyone to bear.

He just sort of calmly looked up at me and said, I'm dying.

2007 Chris Benoit family Murder the WWE Nation was shaken to its core when it was announced that veteran wrestler Chris Benoit had died alongside his wife and son.

That's when Vince McMahon stands up in the ring and says, we just got word that Chris Benoit, Nancy and Daniel have all passed away.

The WWE canceled that night's Raw show and aired a three hour memorial to honor Benoit.

But that very same night, police uncovered a much darker side to the mysterious death.

They revealed that Benoit had murdered his family before taking his own life.

Nobody expects their friend to kill their family.

There's no way the WWE could have known the grim details, and

the memorial was meant to be a touching gesture.

But they were so humiliated by the revelation that they pulled the tribute from the air and scrubbed any involvement with Benoit clean from their records.

What Chris did almost destroyed the only thing that he ever loved from a professional standpoint.

2008 the on camera drowning during a broadcast for TV Miyazaki, Japanese TV personality Tetsushi Yanagita took part in a fun sumo match.

Suddenly, he dove headfirst into the mud and lay there motionless.

Everyone thought it was part of the act, so they laughed and cheered at his expense.

It turns out that he had broken his neck and nearly drowned on live television.

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26 Darkest TV Moments of Each Year (2000 - 2025)

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