Judy Sheindlin, better known to millions as the beloved television personality and courtroom maestro Judge Judy, announced Wednesday morning that she is retiring from onscreen work after ruling daytime television for decades.
Sheindlin has commanded an onscreen courtroom for 30 years, spending 25 years on her namesake series “Judge Judy” before moving to “Justice Judy,” which will air its final episode next month.
She appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to explain her decision to transition toward behind-the-scenes work, including her role as executive producer of “Adam’s Law,” a series led by her son, Adam Levy.
“I’m retiring from in front of the camera,” Sheindlin, who is 83, said. With her son, Levy, beside her, she added, “First of all, he was ready.”
“And you know, I’ve aged pretty well over the years. Reasonably. I look better than my grandmother did at my age — which didn’t take a lot,” she joked. “I’m still going to be creative. I’m going to take the message and put it in a little bit of a different form. I’m gonna become the Benjamin Button of court.”
Levy’s series, “Adam’s Law,” was created by Sheindlin and premiered this month. When asked what advice his mother gave him about helming his own series, Levy shared, “She said, ‘Be yourself and don’t screw this up.’ On brand and direct.”
“She was there from the beginning giving me advice on how to do the show,” he added. “And then every case that we have, she always has some input. It’s just incredible.”
“Judge Judy” premiered in 1996 and ran through 2021, during which Sheindlin amassed a following for her sharp-witted and blunt legal personality. At its peak, “Judge Judy” drew 9 million to 10 million viewers every day and earned multiple Emmy Awards.
Presiding over small claims cases, such as arguments between former lovers, landlord-tenant disagreements, overdue car payments and pet custody battles, Sheindlin kept viewers captivated with her “Judy-isms,” such as: “Don’t try to teach a pig to sing. It doesn’t work and it annoys the pig” and “Don’t spit on my cupcake and tell me it’s frosting.”
In 2018, Forbes named Sheindlin the country’s highest-paid television host, reporting she earned $47 million a year from hosting “Judge Judy” and producing “Hot Bench,” making her the 48th-richest self-made woman in America.
“Many people, as I did in the beginning, get stuck with a job they don’t really like,” she said at 2017’s Forbes Women’s Summit. “If you’re not doing something that you love to do, find something that you love to do, because it will make your whole life different.”