A mix of humor and dread, the 78-year-old TV personality has more to her than meets the eye. Judith Susan Sheindlin has five children, and three of them are lawyers, just like their mom.
Judge Judy is not all that difficult to please off-screen despite her onscreen toughness. But she is a mother of 5 children, who are all grown now.
Judy had 2 of her children, Jamie and Adam, with her first husband, Ronald Levy, a juvenile court prosecutor whom she married in 1964. The couple finally got a divorce after 12 years of marriage.
Judge Judy speaks during the 2017 Forbes Women's Summit at Spring Studios on June 13, 2017 in New York | Source: Getty Images
RELATIONSHIP AND FAMILY
About a year after her divorce, she married Judge Jerry Sheindlin, who later became an arbitrator on the TV show "The Peoples’ Court." They were soon divorced in 1990 but got remarried in 1991.
Their divorce was based on the fact that she wanted him to take care of her after losing her father in 1990. With him not being accustomed to that, they went their separate ways.
After a year of being apart, they both agreed that it was rough without the other and that even though he didn't transform himself into a doting caregiver, he sure puts in an effort. He once said:
"If you love your mate, it all works out."
Now into her 44th year of marriage with Sheindlin, she has three stepchildren, Gregory, Jonathan, and Nicole, from her marriage to Shiendlin. She also has 13 grandchildren that she spoils rotten.
Her love for children made her devote her first children's book, "Win or Lose by How You Choose," to help kids and their parents. Her honor and husband Jerry Sheindlin honed their parenting by raising five children.
Interestingly, three of her children are also in the legal profession. Adam Levy served as a district attorney for Putnam County, New York.
Gregory and Nicole are also both lawyers. Nicole co-founded alongside her mother "Her Honor Mentoring," a program that seeks to pair female high school seniors with successful female career persons.
Judge Judy, who was named the highest-paid TV star in 2013 for earning $147million per year on "Judge Judy," admitted that she and her husband still have the hots for each other.
He keeps in shape while Judy preens herself for him. She even once mentioned that Jerry had never seen her without her hair done or lipstick.
HER CAREER
The judge started her journey in the legal profession after passing the New York State bar exams in 1965. She worked briefly as a corporate lawyer for a cosmetics firm before becoming a New York family court prosecutor.
In 1982, Mayor Ed Koch, inspired by her no-nonsense attitude, appointed her a criminal court judge. She later got promoted to Manhattan’s division of the family court.
Judge Judy Sheindlin, with her Lifetime Achievement Award, at the 46th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on May 05, 2019, in Pasadena | Source: Getty Images
Throughout her career of hearing about 20,000 cases, she was a strict judge with an acerbic wit. Her reputation earned her national recognition. This awareness later got her the reality courtroom series featuring "real cases with real rulings."
The show made its debut on September 16, 1996, and is currently in its 25th season. Although the show's base is assumed to be New York, "Judge Judy" is filmed in California.
Sheindlin has stated that her show's primary goal is to motivate the public to do the right thing and to show that each individual must take responsibility for their actions.
Since its debut, it has maintained the No. 1 rated court show. However, after 25 years, Judge Judy is walking away from the show that made her an icon, and "Judy Justice" is in the works for IMDb TV. "Judy Justice" is a spin-off of "Judge Judy," where she will be adjudicating real-life small claims disputes.
ncG1vNJzZmimlazAb63MqKSapZFjsLC5jmppcHFhaHqrwcOgnGaipZnGbq2MqamorZRiurC5jG5knKCZobGzsc1mamaen6G5b7TTpqM%3D