Judge Judy Sheindlin’s new hairdo might not be so new anymore, but at least some of the Daytime Emmys 2019 viewers were caught by surprise by the courtroom TV personality’s new look Sunday.
As the Judy Judy star was introduced ahead of being presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, some fans were shocked to see she had grown her signature short hair out into a longer ponytail.
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After 22 years behind the bench, Sheindlin will be honored for her contribution to daytime TV.
Ok Judge Judy is looking cute with her ponytail! #DaytimeEmmys
— Reneé Larson (@iamreneejai) May 6, 2019
I turned my tv in and it’s on Judge Judy, when TF did she start wearing a ponytail
— 🖤 (@DrikaDa1) May 2, 2019
“The Daytime Emmy Awards recognize both the excellence and vibrant diversity of daytime television programming,” NATAS President & CEO Adam Sharp said at the time of her nomination in a statement, as per Variety. “Judge Judy Sheindlin epitomizes both, shaping one of the mainstay genres of our medium.”
Added David Michaels, senior vice president and executive producer of the Daytime Emmy Awards, “Daytime television wouldn’t be what it is today without Judy Sheindlin. ‘Judge Judy’ redefined and reinvigorated the courtroom format propelling the genre to new heights.”
Also being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at Sunday’s ceremony is Chef Jacques Pepin.
In a new interview with Variety, Sheindlin hypothesized what about her show resonated with people more than two decades later.
“If I had to guess why our program has had longevity it’s because we have a consistent, honest approach — or I do anyway,” Sheindlin said. “I really believe that the American viewing public is smart enough to know when it’s raining outside or when their leg is being peed on — when something is phony or contrived.”
The lessons she works to teach the litigants in her courtroom are also applicable to those at home.
“The responsibility that people are supposed to have as parents, as citizens, as adult children, as good co-workers, as good neighbors — the civility — I think those are messages that subliminally, through many of the cases, get told,” she explained. “When I say to you, ‘You’re supposed to be a good neighbor,’ it means you’re supposed to have a tolerance; you’re supposed to be able to speak civilly, even if you have a difference of opinion.”
Photo credit: CBS
