Maury Povich Says All His Guests' Stories Are Real, No Matter How Crazy: 'This Is Not 'Springer' '

"My show is for real, and these people, we check them out," Povich told PEOPLE Now

Published on September 22, 2017 04:08PM EDT

Twenty years later, Maury Povich‘s talk show is still leaving viewers’ jaws on the floor.

PEOPLE Now recently caught up with the legendary TV host, who opened up about the last Maury guest that truly shocked him: A woman pregnant with twins from two different fathers, which has happened not once but twice on his show.

“The first time it happened, I just didn’t believe it,” said Povich, 78. “I looked at my staff on set and I said: ‘That’s impossible — did I read something wrong?’ ”

Well, not quite: The phenomenon can happen when two eggs from the same mother get fertilized by two different fathers within the same ovulation period.

“Doctors say it’s a million-to-one shot,” said Povich. “It [happened] twice on my show.”

Of course, we had to ask Povich a question that’s surely crossed most fans’ minds: Are all of the guests and their crazy stories real?

“Of course,” he insisted. “This is not Springer. Jerry and I have known each other a long time and I love his honesty: He says his show is wrestling. My show is not wrestling.”

“My show is for real, and these people, we check them out,” he continued. “I operate like a news room. We have seven production teams and they look at these stories, they check them out back in their hometowns, they talk to their friends, they talk to their family members. This is real stuff.”

RELATED VIDEO: Maury Povich Reveals the Last Time He Was Shocked

So if that’s the case, why do people choose to air their dirty laundry on TV?

“I wonder about that,” he said. “People say: ‘Why would they do that?!’ And basically, I think, they find that there’s a safe place on the show. I offer them that, and they unburden themselves.”

“They think that maybe after the show, if there’s a lot of the baggage before the show, maybe if it can all come out, they can start again,” he added.

And last but not least, Povich revealed the number one things fans have to say to him when they come across him on the street.

“It’s very simple,” he said. “If they recognize me, they go: ‘Hey, Maury. I’m not the father.’ ”

Maury airs weekdays (check local listings).