'Judge Judy' Bailiff Petri Hawkins Byrd Reveals 'Slight' He Felt Most Amid Launch of New Series Without Him
Former Judge Judy bailiff Petri Hawkins Byrd opened up about another "slight" he felt from Judge Judith Sheindlin, before she even started her new IMDb TV show without him. In 2019, Sheindlin was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys, but Byrd was not picked to present the award. Instead, that job went to Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler, who even joked on stage that Byrd should have been the presenter. Last month, Byrd revealed that Sheindlin never even approached him about joining her on Judy Justice.
During the 2019 Daytime Emmys ceremony, Byrd did not even sit close to Sheindlin. He was at the ceremony, but was 15 to 20 rows away from her with producers, Byrd told Insider on Nov. 5. "So that gives you an idea of, when you talk about slight, that gives you an idea," he said.
Sheindlin said it was Poehler's idea to present the award. "She is a huge fan," Sheindlin told Insider in a statement. However, Byrd disputes this. He claims he ran into Poehler months after the 2019 Daytime Emmys and she was surprised Byrd wasn't asked. The former Saturday Night Live star also joked after handing Sheindlin the award that she thought Byrd should have presented "this award the way he hands you photos in court, not making eye contact with the queen he has sworn to protect."
Byrd's interview with Insider was during the outlet's investigation into Judge Judy. The outlet spoke with 16 former employees and reviewed court documents showing multiple sexual harassment claims dating back to the early 2000s. There were also allegations of racism against longtime executive producer Randy Douthit. His lawyer denied Douthit engaged in "racism or any other abusive conduct towards members of the show's production or its participants."
In early October, Judge Judy fans were shocked to see Byrd was not involved with Judy Justice after the first trailer was released. He later told Entertainment Weekly he didn't even know Sheindlin was going to start a new show until he saw her announcement on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in March 2020. He never had a chance to talk to her about it when they began work on the last Judge Judy season because she filmed remotely in New York while he and everyone else were based in Los Angeles.
When Byrd finally did speak with Sheindlin, he claims she told him he would be too expensive. "My salary would have been too much. I was curious: How would she know? She didn't ask me. She didn't give me an opportunity to have accepted a lower salary," he told EW.
In another interview with the Associated Press, Byrd said he wasn't angry. He also explained that he never became close friends with Sheindlin, despite working together for 25 years. Since Judge Judy ended, Byrd began focusing on acting, taking a part on The Bold and the Beautiful in August and voicing a character on Disney+'s upcoming The Proud Family revival.