New judge on ‘Divorce Court’ glad to be back on TV bench

ATLANTA — “Divorce Court” is back this season with a modified look and a new judge.

Faith Jenkins has taken over for Lynn Toler, who left after 13 years, disagreeing with how the producers were creating the show. Jenkins, a former attorney and prosecutor, had her own syndicated judge show, “Judge Faith,” from 2014 to 2018.

“Divorce Court,” now in its 22nd season, is available on Hulu and airs daily on WWHO-TV (Channel 53). It has become a staple on the daytime circuit in a genre still dominated by “Judge Judy.“

This season’s first 50 episodes were taped in July and August at Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta. This season’s early run does not have a live audience, a concession to the pandemic.

Based on her early episodes, Jenkins is kinder and gentler than Toler, less acerbic, for example, when castigating a husband, Kenneth Gardner, for sexting an ex-girlfriend. The wife, Shay Gardner, wants a divorce, noting how he belittles her weight while he complains she doesn’t give him the physical attention he needs.

He said he is building a business; she said he sits on the couch all day and she doesn’t want to have sex with someone who is that lazy.

Jenkins drills down to the core issue: Shay wants stability and children; Kenneth isn’t ready for kids.

In many ways, “Divorce Court” is quick-and-dirty marriage therapy with just a smidge of legal advice.

Jenkins noted that “the emotional element is higher than handling small-claims cases” as she did on “Judge Faith.” She will apply the law when there is a legal claim, but the show really is more about “examining what people think about love and the things they tolerate and accept in the name of love.”

When Jenkins was asked to replace Toler, she jumped at the chance.

“I really wanted to get back into the court genre,” she said. Divorce “is a subject that will never get old. People are always trying to figure things out with their loved ones. People by human nature don’t want to be alone. As long as people are navigating these often murky waters, a show like this will remain relevant.”

Jenkins, 42, is a Louisiana native who received her law degree at Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge.

She worked a few years as an attorney in New York City, then as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. She wanted to be on TV, and she managed to land legal commentary guest slots on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News during the George Zimmerman trial in 2013. She recalled doing both Bill O’reilly and Al Sharpton’s shows on consecutive days.

That exposure led to her own judge show, but it was canceled, she said, after the financier behind the production company pulled out.

Jenkins married R&B singer Kenny Lattimore in March, just before things began to shut down. She said the quarantine actually was a blessing, allowing them to spend time with each other immediately after their wedding — and he even had time to record a new theme song for “Divorce Court.“