“Berani, you are the father!”
Wearing a tuxedo and simply hours away from receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award on the fiftieth Daytime Emmys in downtown Los Angeles final week, Maury Povich opened a manila envelope and browse the paternity outcomes printed on a Maury notecard to as soon as and for all resolve the thriller being pregnant of an orangutan on the famed Denver Zoo.
Jake Kubié, the Director of Communications on the Denver Zoo, tells ET that Povich’s assist took place when he contacted the legendary TV host’s former govt producer to see if Povich can be prepared to announce the outcomes. Kubié says the manager producer then put him in contact with Povich’s private assistant, and so they had been off to the races.
On the heart of all of it was the Sumatran orangutan named Eirina, who on Aug. 27 gave delivery to daughter, Siska. Whereas there actually was purpose to have fun the momentous event, zoo officers had been puzzled as to who fathered Siska. And there have been solely two suspects — 30-year-old Berani or 16-year-old Jaya, who was introduced in to the zoo in 2019 particularly to be Eirina’s mate.
However after Eirina gave delivery, Kubié mentioned the zoo’s care and well being groups could not intervene with the brand new mom’s bonding time. So, they needed to wait. And, after just a few months, the crew was lastly in a position to get a hair pattern from the child orangutan to match it to Berani and Jaya’s DNA samples.
Enter Povich.
Kubié tells ET that Povich’s assistant knowledgeable him his boss was all the way down to announce the paternity outcomes, a Povich customized that grew to become a everlasting fixture on daytime tv for many years. Kubié mentioned the Denver Zoo obtained the video on the afternoon of Dec. 16, simply hours earlier than Povich and his spouse, the legendary newscaster Connie Chung, walked the crimson carpet on the fiftieth Daytime Emmy Inventive Arts and Way of life Awards at The Westin Bonaventure Resort.
“When it comes to the orangutan, 4-month-old Siska, Berani, you are the father!” exclaimed Povich in his trademark fashion in a video shared by the Denver Zoo’s Twitter account.
The video then cuts to zoo officers celebrating the paternity outcomes. Berani’s additionally proven within the video, although it is unclear if he was celebrating or fuming.
In any occasion, Kubié says the Denver Zoo’s eternally grateful that Povich made this thrilling information much more particular. That Povich introduced yet one more paternity end result on the day he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award on the Daytime Emmys is becoming. After the large honor, Povich spoke completely to ET and mentioned he is proud to have his trademark supply — “You ARE the father” and “You are NOT the father” — be his TV legacy.
“They’re gonna remember, ‘you are the father, you are not the father,” he said. “That is what they’re gonna keep in mind.”
The 84-year-old TV legend also shared that it’s even an honor when people — and now a zoo! — request that he say it on the street.
“Nicely, I react very favorably as a result of in case you’re on tv each day and no one acknowledges you, you are in hassle,” he shared. “I’ve all the time been very beneficiant with my time in public as a result of I imagine in that.”
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