Judith Susan Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, is an American television personality, producer, author, and former prosecutor and Manhattan family court, judge. Most of us are quite familiar with the show courtroom program. Judge Judy presides over a real small-claims case within the confines of her televised courtroom. But did you know how much money she makes in a year?
Judge Judy earns $47 million per year for taping the “Judge Judy” series. In an interview, she stated that she would present her salary request to CBS. When they presented her with a counter-offer in an envelope, she refused to open it was not a negotiation.
Who is Judith Sheindlin?
Judith Susan Sheindlin was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. Her father was a dentist and he mother was a homemaker.
Sheindlin graduated from the James Madison High School in Brooklyn and attended the American University in Washington DC. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in government. She then got into the New York Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor in 1955.
Sheindlin passed the New York state bar exam the same year she graduated and was hired as a corporate lawyer for a cosmetics firm. After two years, she became dissatisfied with her job and left to raise her two children, Jamie and Adam.
After hearing about the job from a friend, she became a prosecutor in the New York family court system in 1972. Sheindlin prosecuted cases of child abuse, domestic violence, and juvenile crime cases as a lawyer.
Sheindlin’s no-nonsense demeanor prompted New York Mayor Ed Koch to appoint her as a criminal court judge in 1982. Four years later, she was promoted to supervising judge in the Manhattan division of the family court. She became known as a tough judge. (Source: Judge Judy)
How Did Judith Sheindlin Become Judge Judy?
Sheindlin published her first book, Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining: America’s Toughest Family Court Judge Speaks Out with Josh Getlin in 1996, as her national profile grew.
Her popularity prompted television executives to propose a courtroom show similar to The People’s Court which aired from 1981 to 1993, with Sheindlin as the arbiter of small-claims cases. With this, Judge Judy was born. (Source: Judge Judy)
What is Judith Sheindlin’s Net Worth?
Sheindlin has left an indelible imprint on daytime television with her wildly popular courtroom show Judge Judy. The no-nonsense judge has dominated television for more than two decades, taping over 5,200 episodes since the show’s debut in September 1996.
Although Judge Judy’s tenure is set to end, she has no plans to slow down. She revealed to Ellen DeGeneres that she is working on a brand-new television show called Judy Justice.
But even if Sheindlin decided to retire tomorrow, the 77-year-old TV personality would be financially secure. According to Business Insider, Judy has earned a cool $47 million per year for Judge Judy, despite only filming 52 days out of the year. According to Forbes, Sheindlin’s net worth is estimated to be around $440 million. (Source: Good Housekeeping)