HOLLYWOOD—Take a look at “Judge Judy,” who inspires women everyday with her veracity. Judge Judith Sheindlin, AKA Judy Judy has been a fixture in many American homes for 23 years. The 76-year-old is the star of the popular show which she presides over real-life small claims cases with trademark wit and bluntness.
That strategy has certainly paid off for the former Manhattan family court judge. Sheindlin has a reported net worth of $400 million, according to Forbes, and brought home $147 million in 2017. Of those earnings, $47 million came from hosting “Judge Judy” and producing “Hot Bench,” another popular legal television show, and an estimated $100 million from selling the rights of her show to CBS.
That makes her the highest-paid host on TV. She truly negotiates to get her fair share of her show’s profits. It seems that every three years, Judge Judy has dinner at the Grill on the Alley, in Beverly Hills, with the president of CBS Television Distribution to discuss her contract. Sheindlin writes down the salary she wants, seals it in an envelope and presents it at the end of the meal. Once a president presented her with his own envelope, which she refused to open.
Judge Judy elaborated on the negotiation in a 2016 deposition when she was sued by a talent agency working on the show. The agency objected to how her pay was structured, noting that CBS backs to the wall when it comes to her compensation. The case was dismissed. Given the success of her show, it’s hard to argue with her salary. It has been the highest-paid program in first-run syndication for the last 10 years, with 10 million people tuning in each day to watch her, well, cast judgement.
According to Forbes, the CBS syndication deal made her the 48th-richest self-made woman in the US. Sheindlin’s show is so lucrative not only because of its ratings, but because it attracts female viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, which is a heavily desired demographic for advertisers. So what does she do with all that money? She lives in Florida for most of the year with her husband Jerry Sheindlin.
They have a membership to the Ritz-Carlton and Judge Judy bought a motorcycle for his 85th birthday. She drives a Bentley. The show is so successful that it has won three Emmy awards. Sheindlin’s regular phrases on the program have become known as “Judyisms.” “I’m speaking,” “Do I look like I need help from you?”, “Clearly you are not wrapped too tight,” and more.
No wonder, Mattel, the company that makes the famous children’s toy, is set to announce Barbie’s new career as a judge any day now, and we believe this may be Barbie’s first foray into the judiciary. The 2019 “Career of the Year” Barbie is now available online for $12.97. The doll comes with a black robe, a gavel and block, and a doll-sized jabot that was likely inspired by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Ginsberg is one of the modern leaders for women’s rights in America, who wears a signature “dissent” collar to show the world how she really feels about a particular decision. Or it might have been inspired by Judge Judy. Judge Barbie, which comes in four different skin tones with four different hairstyles, could help young girls imagine themselves in the legal field at an early age. As it stands, women represent just 38 percent of jobs in the legal profession in the United States.
The intent of the Barbie Judge dolls inspire girls to imagine everything they can become. Kids will love being the judge, and there are so many stories to hear and tell as they explore a career in the courtroom and create their own justice with a Barbie Judge doll. Years from now, we will see many young women inspired to go to law school who go on to become practicing lawyers and are later elevated to the bench recall fond memories of the doll that started it all: Judge Barbie.
Rose’s Scoop: Another Take Two. Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin got married again during a South Carolina ceremony. A little more than a year after the happy couple tied the knot in a New York City courthouse, the pair celebrated with a larger ceremony in front of family and friends on September 30. They exchanged Tiffany wedding bands as the sun set at the Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton.