It's the end of a television era: One final man will be told on Maury whether or not they are the father.
The Daytime Emmy-winning syndicated tabloid talk show is set to end production after the conclusion of the current season after more than 30 years on the air, a rep for the series confirmed to E! News, noting that host Maury Povich, 83, is retiring.
"This will be the farewell season for Maury," the rep said. "Original episodes will air though September and Maury will air in syndication for the foreseeable future."
Maury said in a statement from NBCUniversal Syndication Studios, "Six years ago when I was ready to retire, my NBCUniversal family asked me to continue the show. 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,[NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Executive Vice President] Tracie Wilson and I agreed to one more deal."
He added, "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!'"
Maury premiered in 1991 as The Maury Povich Show. The NBCUniversal Syndication Studios series is best known for revealing the results of DNA paternity tests to guests seeking confirmation whether they or their ex have fathered a child.
The series, which is filmed before a studio audience, also features onstage confrontations between friends and family members accusing the other of cheating.
Episode topics over the years have included, "DNA Test My Husband and Ex-Husband...One of Them Is the Dad!," "Is My Little Brother Sleeping With the Woman I Love? Test Them," "Family Secrets: Is My Husband Having an Affair With My Daughter?," "Best Friend Secrets Revealed...I Had a Baby With Her Man!" and "I Only Video Chatted With That Naked Woman… I Didn't Cheat!"
"I've had critics talk about me in terms of, we're exploiting these themes," Povich told AZTV Channel 7 in Arizona in a remote interview in February. "I think that we're doing a service to people...if these men are being accused of being the father, and they're proven to be the father, that they will get back into the lives of these children. And guess what—many of them do. I'm not saying a majority do, but a significant amount."
Povich continued, "Because we've done this this theme for so long, we've had families come back 15 years later—almost 20 years later, and we find out that not only did the father get involved in the child's life, the child grew up—she or he went to school, they went to college, they had their own families—and it's a fairy tale."
Last November, Lil Nas X appeared on the show for a parody episode with his now-ex-boyfriend Yai Ariza and the latter's wife, with her and the "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" singer both expressing shock about finding out about each other. Maury also notes that the woman has a 4-year-old child and asks, "Is Yai the dad?" Cue the paternity test.
Broadcasting & Cable first reported news about Maury's upcoming end of production last week.
(E! is part of the NBCUniversal family.)