Syndication queen Judge Judy Sheindlin is a petite powerhouse and is still going strong, even while knocking on 80.
The no-nonsense judge clocks in at 5-feet-1-inch and has a long-running reality show after a notable career in the law. Her resume is impressive as she also served as a New York State Supreme Court judge.
Of late, Judge Judy wrote a piece for USA Today in which she endorsed former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg for president even though he’s not currently running for the office. Bloomberg served three terms as New York City’s mayor from 2002 to 2013.
This is the first time that Judge Sheindlin – at age 77 – has publicly revealed her political opinion and preference.
I realize I am taking a personal and a career risk…I have carefully stayed away from politics for 50 years, except to vote. But times have changed in our country, and I believe the moment has come for me to step out from behind the curtain. I want to speak honestly and from the heart — regardless of the consequences.
Judge Sheindlin is a mogul, to say the least, a true blue 1 percenter with an estimated wealth now over $500 million with real estate holdings from Los Angeles, New York City, New England, and Florida.
She has revealed her salary of $47 million for 52 days of shooting annually. Judge Judy flies on her private jet and has posh New York-based pals and celebrity friends all over at her beck and call. But not The Donald, it appears.
The same article also revealed her salary negotiation, which is something we can all learn a bit from. They described her boss-like approach to getting her Benjamins in order:
She enjoys a dinner every three years at the Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills with the president of CBS Television Distribution to discuss her contract. ‘She writes down the salary she wants, seals it in an envelope and presents it at the end of the meal,’ the story read. ‘Once, a [CBS] president presented her with his own envelope, which she refused to open: ‘This isn’t a negotiation,’ she told him. She sold the rights to the show’s library to CBS in 2017 for a reported $95 million.
Maher will likely ask her why she refuses to vote for a Democratic contender, which we hope will elicit a string of very opinionated summaries of their shortcomings per Judge Judy’s withering analysis.
But what we are really looking forward to her assessment of POTUS in office, Donald J. Trump, someone she knows very well.
In any event, Maher will have to be on his most focused best as an interviewer as Judge Judy suffers no unprepared fools.
Along with Judge Judy Sheindlin, Maher has booked comedian and director Judd Apatow as the mid-show interview guest. The roundtable panel includes Governor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Steve Bullock, former Chicago Mayor and White House Chief of Staff to President Obama Rahm Emanuel and political analyst Steve Schmidt.
Real Time with Bill Maher airs Friday, (NOV. 8) at 10:00-11:00 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT), with a replay at 12:30 a.m., exclusively on HBO.