Gavel falls heavy in fall
NOVEMBER, after a quarter of a century on CBS, daytime’s No. 1 name — Judge Judy — will now bang her gavel on Amazon.
Judy: “25 sounds right. Not right is 17 ¹/2 years. Right is to say ‘my silver anniversary.’ Time for change. And I’m not tired. I’ve worked 50ish years and my legs are too short to be a ballet dancer. I wouldn’t know what else to do with myself.
“Also the industry is changing. My children have no landline. They live with a thing in their palm. In the beginning, that to me was like living without pants. In three to five years all broadcasting will change. Now it’s streaming. I’m excited to be in this new venture. I’ve retired the lace collar. My robe is more chic. A different color.
“We’ve shot half the episodes already. In court I always had a clerk to read things back or remind me if I recall some testimony incorrectly. Now we include more in front of the bench. My TV clerk is actually my real granddaughter who’s a third-generation lawyer from the same law school.”
Judy has homes in New York, Florida, Connecticut, California, Rhode Island, out West — so where did this thing get filmed?
“Los Angeles. Last April I said goodbye to my crew. Great to now be back with friends I haven’t seen in so long. Who knows what they’re saying. But I’m saying I haven’t changed. And then we all look at ourselves with a magnifying mirror. During the pandemic I was in Florida not working so I got to be more physically able. I’d walk along the beach 5 miles a day.”
This new idea of “Judy Justice” on Amazon, how did it come about?
“While still on CBS, I had a drink with one of the executives. Our 15 minutes turned into two hours. They loved the idea. They knew many would follow me and they were excited to do it right.”