Judge Judy’s Contract Negotiations for Monster Salary Are Familiar to Viewers of Courtroom Series

Judge Judy Sheindlin is known for her colorful commentary when delivering rulings on her daytime show. So, it should come as no surprise to fans of Judge Judy that she implements that same no-holds-barred style during salary negotiations. According to CNBC, Sheindlin recently revealed how she negotiates her salary for Judge Judy. The TV personality is currently the highest-paid host on television.

Sheindlin reportedly has a net worth of $400 million. In 2017, she earned $147 million, $47 million of which was from Judge Judy and for producing Hot Bench. She earned the other $100 million by selling the rights of her show to CBS. As for how she has managed to nab such a high amount for her television work, Sheindlin explained exactly how she negotiates to get what she’s due. As the New York Times shared in June of 2019, “Every three years, Sheindlin has dinner at the Grill on the Alley, in Beverly Hills, with the president of CBS Television Distribution to discuss her contract. Sheindlin writes down the salary she wants, seals it in an envelope and presents it at the end of the meal. Once, a president presented her with his own envelope, which she refused to open: ‘This isn’t a negotiation,’ she told him.”

Clearly, Sheindlin isn’t afraid of taking a bold stance when it comes to negotiations or her television career. In March, it was announced that her popular show Judge Judy would be ending after 25 seasons (the final season is currently airing and will end in 2021). Sheindlin announced the news herself when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “CBS [Television Distribution, which distributes the show] sort of felt, I think, they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program,” Sheindlin told host Ellen DeGeneres. “Now they have 25 years of my reruns. What they decided to do is sell a couple of years’ worth of reruns. But I’m not tired, so Judy Justice will be coming out a year later.”

Sheindlin was not able to provide any further details about Judy Justice. Although, she did share that fans will be able to watch the series on a network outside of CBS. “Judge Judy, you’ll be able to see next year — a full year, all new shows,” she continued to explain. “The following couple of years, you should be able to get all the reruns that CBS has sold on the stations currently carrying Judge Judy, and Judy Justice will be going elsewhere. Isn’t that fun?”