“The majority of my life, I spent buying on the sale rack,” she told PEOPLE in a November 2021 cover story. “I didn’t bother going into [Neiman Marcus], [Bergdorf Goodman] and Saks [Fifth Avenue] because I couldn’t afford it.”
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Not long afterJudy Justicepremiered, Sheindlin dipped into her fortune anddonated $5 million in full scholarshipsto 10 women attending the judge’s alma mater, New York Law School. The scholarship fund covers all tuition and book expenses, and the 10 women will be offered summer fellowships once they’ve completed their first year of law school.
In May 2023,Judy Justicereceived a season 2 renewal and was Freevee’s top original program based on hours watched,according toDeadline. The first season also won the 2022 Daytime Emmy for outstanding legal/courtroom program.
“We left on top, which is perfect,” Sheindlin said about the end ofJudge Judy. “Amazon had the confidence in me to say, ‘Let’s do it in streaming. Let’s let you do your thing in a fresh version with new people.’ And I’m excited!”
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When she got her start as a lawyer back in 1972, the Brooklyn native prosecuted child abuse, domestic violence and juvenile crime cases in New York’s family court. She later became a judge in 1982 and a supervising judge in 1986.
Her tough reputation earned her media buzz, first in a 1993Los Angeles Timesprofile and later that year in a60 Minutessegment that caught the attention of a CBS production company.
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Judge Judypremiered on Sept. 16, 1996. “I was hoping we would have a three- or four-year run and that my husband and I would be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment one block off the beach in Florida as a retirement place,” she recalled. “We were civil servants. We had five kids that were all educated, most went to graduate school. We tried to see to it they weren’t burdened with a lot of debt.”
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In early seasons, Sheindlin engaged in serious salary negotiations, but as the show’s ratings skyrocketed, she demandedpaydays to match.
“We should be partners,” she said she told CBS executives after a decade on-air. “I can do this program without you. Good luck, you can’t do it without me.”
Her plainspoken advice for anyone negotiating for better pay? “You have to make yourself indispensable — and that is irrespective of what you do,” she said. “Once you’ve done that and have leverage, make a reasonable demand and know what the commodity is worth.”
source: people.com
