Judge Judy Retiring From Onscreen Work After 30 Years on TV but Stresses: ‘I’m Still Going to Be Creative’

Judy Sheindlin, the beloved media personality and legal maven better known as Judge Judy, is retiring from onscreen work.

Sheindlin has presided over court cases on TV for 30 years now, first on “Judge Judy” and currently on “Judy Justice,” which will release its series finale on Oct. 22. With her time on the bench complete, she is stepping away to focus on working behind the camera. Chief among the projects on her producing slate is “Adam’s Law,” the court show led by her son, judge Adam Levy.

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Sheindlin appeared on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday to explain her decision. “First of all, he’s ready,” she said about Levy, who was sitting beside her. “And you know, I’ve aged pretty well over the years. Reasonably. I look better than my grandmother did at my age — which didn’t take a lot,” she joked. “I’m still going to be creative. I’m going to take the message and put it in a little bit of a different form. I’m gonna become the Benjamin Button of court.”

“Judge Judy” premiered in 1996 and ran for 25 seasons until 2021, being distributed in syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Offering a different tone than many talk shows that were on the air in its early years, the series inspired a wave of courtroom series and was a ratings heavy-hitter. “Judy Justice” premiered on Amazon’s now-defunct service Freevee in 2021 and currently airs on Amazon Prime Video. Executive producers include director Randy Douthit as well as Amy Freisleben and Scott Koondel.

People was first to report on Sheindlin’s retirement.