'Judge Judy' Fans in Disbelief After Baliff Byrd Confirms He Wasn't Asked Back for New Show

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly,  Judge Judy Sheindlin's longtime bailiff, Petri Hawkins Byrd, revealed that he would not be involved in her new show Judy Justice despite working on Judge Judy for 25 years. According to Byrd, Sheindlin never even asked him to be a part of the new show.

"My assumption is if you were going on to do something else, that you were at least going to ask me if I wanted to have the opportunity to audition for the role," Byrd told Entertainment Weekly Friday. Once Judge Judy production finished in April, Byrd completely devoted his attention to his wife, Judge Judy producer Makita Bond-Byrd, who was scheduled for brain surgery. Thankfully, doctors successfully removed 95% of Bond-Byrd's tumor.

"I didn't have time to think about or ask about Judy Justice," Byrd explained. "It wasn't until July that I called the judge and asked, 'Hey, should I look for something else or am I included in the Judy Justice project?'" Sheindlin told Byrd he was not being asked to join the Judy Justice cast. He didn't press her as to why, but she blamed the budget. "I didn't inquire as to why, that's her choice. But she did inform me that fundamentally, I was priced out as the new bailiff on her new show," Byrd told EW. With the revelation that Byrd was completely cut out of Judy Justice, former fans of the show were incensed on his behalf.