Judy Sheindlin, the woman who is known around the world as Judge Judy, was the highest-grossing television host in 2018, pulling in $147 million according to Forbes. But, is she really a judge and is her show real?

Before reality television became mainstream, there was a reality show called The People's Court. Several spinoffs followed, but the most successful has been Judge Judy. If you're skeptical of reality shows, nobody blames you. They run the gamut of being real to completely scripted and fake, with most of them falling somewhere in the messy middle. Where does Judge Judy fall?

Judy Sheindlin is a very real judge. She passed the New York bar exam in 1965 and first worked as a corporate lawyer for a cosmetics firm. She took time off to raise a family and then took a position as a prosecutor in the family court system, in which her "no-nonsense" attitude attracted admiration. In 1982, she was appointed as a judge. In 1993, she was the subject of an LA Times article, which led to her being featured on 60 Minutes, bringing her national recognition. Shortly thereafter she wrote a book titled Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining and then retired from the family court system.

Judge Judy debuted in 1996 and her firecracker personality and sharp-talking skills immediately resonated with viewers. It's been the number one court show since its debut, regularly bringing in about 10 million viewers a day. Since 2010, it's been the highest rated daytime television show. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show recently snagged its tenth win in ten years for first-run syndication programming. Judy renewed her contract with CBS until 2021, which will make 25 years of Judge Judy on television.

So, Sheindlin is a real judge, but how real is everything else?  The cases are real small claims cases that are picked by the show. The plaintiffs and defendants get a letter asking if they want to appear on Judge Judy to resolve their case. Why would anyone want America involved in their personal business? For the perks! The people bringing their cases before Judy are paid for their appearance (so is the audience). If the plaintiffs win, Judge Judy pays the money, not the defendants. Also, if the defendants lose, they won’t have any civil judgement added to their records because the show settles disputes through arbitration and not litigation. Both parties are also compensated for their travel expenses to LA. 

As you see, it's a bit of a mixed bag, but mostly real. More so than a lot of the reality shows on television! Clearly, fans like it.

Judy's personality and wit shine in other areas, too. Read her recent interview with RuPaul here.

Image: By David Shankbone [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons