Maurice Richard Povich (born January 17, 1939) is an American former television personality, best known for hosting the tabloid talk show Maury which aired from 1991 to 2022.

[1] Povich began his career as a radio reporter, initially at WWDC and later as host of a daytime Washington DC talk show Panorama.

In the late 1980s, he gained national fame as the host of tabloid infotainment TV show A Current Affair, based at Fox's New York flagship station WNYW.

In 1967, he became the original co-host of the station's popular midday talk show, Panorama,[6] which brought the rising star widespread acclaim and national recognition.

[7] Seeking to further his career, Povich left Washington in late 1976 for what would become a series of high-profile, short-lived television jobs, beginning with WMAQ-TV in Chicago in January 1977.

[8] Hired to co-anchor evening newscasts, he joined the NBC-owned station to much fanfare—ahead of his arrival, WMAQ-TV produced promotions featuring testimonials from U.S. senator Hubert Humphrey and actress Carol Channing, among others, touting Povich's credentials.

[11][12] Povich then headed to CBS-owned KNXT in Los Angeles[13]—where he co-anchored alongside Connie Chung—but was ousted after a six-month stint following a change in the station's news management.

[18] He departed KYW-TV after three years[19] and brought his career full-circle with a return home to Washington in June 1983, resuming as host of Panorama and anchoring The 10 O'Clock News for WTTG.

Initially launching on WNYW in July 1986 before landing on the other Fox-owned stations, and into national syndication in 1988, A Current Affair was considered a tabloid infotainment show that often focused on celebrity gossip, but it also made time for compelling human-interest stories.

[6] For raising awareness of National Adoption Month, Povich was honored by New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1995.

Povich discussed his career with Greg Braxton of the Los Angeles Times that June, noting that he had accomplished all he had wanted to do during his career, was proud of what he had created with Maury (especially in maintaining the show's ratings in a time when daytime television audiences were shrinking rapidly), and had no further desire for any other television projects.

Povich took a journalistic approach to each story and took pride when an appearance on Maury would lead to the father and mother of a child reconciling.

[26] In 2017, Povich became an investor and part owner of the Washington, D.C. bar and restaurant Chatter, along with other D.C. notables Tony Kornheiser and Gary Williams.