Judge Judy

9/18/2014

When I first came home from Chicago, I "allowed" myself minimal daytime television. Price is Right and Let's Make a Deal were watching while I ate my lunch.  It's been many months since I've turned on the television during the day.  I've got other things to do now - reading, working on "Wilma", and my new volunteer job.

I recently clicked around for shows to watch around 6:00 at night and up popped Judge Judy.  I used to watch her show a long time ago and loved her sarcastic comments.  So at night generally while eating dinner on the sofa (I know, I know - shouldn't do that), I tune in.  After watching the show for several nights, I then began to wonder if the judge was really a judge. How much was she paid, etc.

You know me on to the internet and here's what I found:

 Judge Sheindlin was a real judge.  She retired from the bench in 1996. She heard more than 20,000 cases during her career. A swift decision-maker, Judge Sheindlin earned a reputation as one of New York’s most effective judges. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Next question: what does Judge Judy earn in a year.  Do hold onto your hats friends.  According to a 2010 USA Today profile, Sheindlin only works 52 days a year. Do the math and that's more than $903,846 per work day which puts her above Ashton Kutcher who earns a reported $750,000 per episode for "Two and a Half Men." Judge Judy Is The Highest-Paid Celebrity On TV earning $47 million a year, give a penny or two.  Last year she received a $2 million dollar raise (don't you wish you could get a raise like that?) and the network has extended under contract until 2017.

She averages nine to ten million viewers. Compare her viewing numbers to these:

The Tonight Show": 3.6 million
"The Late Show with David Letterman": 2.7 million
 "Jimmy Kimmel Live!": 2.4 million
"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon":1 .8 million 

Work 52 days a year and earn millions - what a plushy dream job.   The cases are most of the time ridiculous but listening to the Judge reprimand people in her courtroom makes for a fun half hour of television.

P