How Much Money Did ‘Judge Judy’ Make? The Answer Is Out Of Order

“Judge Judy” was a reality TV staple for over 20 years. The no-nonsense judge became one of the most iconic and successful people in the history of television. Her iconic, off-the-cuff barbs were more clever than anything a writer could come up with. Now, gone are the days of  once-beloved “Judge Judy” and enter “Judy Justice” so 79-year-old Judith Sheindlin can continue to rake in some big money.

Here’s a classic line from “Judge Judy”. Not many people could get away with saying this.

So any guesses as to how much money Judge Judy was making throughout her tenure on television? It might shock you. It certainly shocked me.

Are you ready for this…

Judge Judy reportedly made:

$47 Million A Year!

A year! For a syndicated fake courtroom show. That is a ridiculous amount of money.

But you can’t really say she didn’t work for it. How did she make that much money? Through the power of negotiation. 

“As ratings grew, so did Sheindlin’s paychecks thanks to serious negotiating on her part. After ten years on the air, she told network executives “we should be partners. I can do this program without you. Good luck, you can’t do it without me.”

Good for her. Yea that’s a ton of money for a fake courtroom show, but she was smart to get it.

The big secret for how Hollywood stars make the big bucks is through producing. Producing allows you to gain a financial stake in the production, earning more along the way.

That also comes with a lot of extra work that the studio will heft upon you, but $47 million seems worth it.

While Judge Judy ended in May she is ready for another show, streaming for free on IMDBTv (owned by Amazon).

“Judge Judy” is now “Judy Justice”

Judy’s new show is a bit different. Instead of just her she now has a law clerk and a stenographer on hand to help her during trials.

She also has a new bailiff, dumping her one of 25 years.

I don’t know what good a clerk and a stenographer will do on a fake courtroom show, but it is certainly a different format.

Watch a trailer for “Judy Justice” below

I watched the first episode and I’m going to be real — I don’t get it.

She spends half the show just rambling at people and her law clerk and the stenographer did nothing. Such a waste!

Related: Judge Judy Gets The Last Laugh After CBS Network Disrespected Her Show 

Why go through all this extra stuff? Just to do something different?

Just play the hits. No one watches your show for something new, they watch it to watch you yell at idiots who are suing each other over broken coffee tables.

The obvious answer seems to be money. Now we know why she was such a proponent of Mike Bloomberg.

Judge Judy On Self Worth

While it’s sad to see the curtain lifted on our favorite no-nonsense television judge, maybe there’s still a positive takeaway here. What can we learn from Judge Judy?

Here’s some advice from her on negotiating and knowing your worth:

“You have to make yourself indispensable — and that is irrespective of what you do. Once you’ve done that and have leverage, make a reasonable demand and know what the commodity is worth.”

I’ll still take the “don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining” version of Judge Judy over the reinvented one any day. What about you?

Does Judge Judy deserve $47 million a year? Let us know in the comment section below.