It’s All In The Advertising
In 2012 alone the Judge Judy program took in $230 million in advertising money.
The star herself is not the only one making money; she has been very profitable for her network as well.
"New York, New York"
Don't trust your eyes, there can be anything on the TV. Though the screen shows New York, Judge Judy is actually filmed in California. It takes approximately 52 days to tape the entire show for a season. Don't trust the Manhattan bridge or the New York state flag that sits behind Judy's chair. Every so often a California earthquake interrupts filming and, if the editing team misses it, it appears that it's New York state shaking.
Judy is in residence in the sunshine state every other Monday, overseeing cases on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, occasionally a Thursday. Each week of shows is filmed in a single day.
The Whole Library
As the show continued Judge Judy wrote two more books for her adult viewers. The titles are in the Judge's own witty voice. One was called, "Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever" and "Keep It Simple Stupid: You're Smarter Thank You Look."
The books are supposed to be just as witty as their titles. I bet you will read both in the Judge's own voice, that's quite a thing to have in your hear.
Shout Out To The Los Angeles Times
What was Judy's reputation before she ended up on television? She was still considered one of the toughest family court judges in the country. Who said so? The Los Angeles Times. It was Josh Getlin, a reporter for the LA Times, who wrote the article that jump-started Judy's rise in the entertainment world.
The article Getlin wrote about Judge Judy Sheindlin was read by producers at 60 minutes. The television news magazine aired a story in 1993 that highlighted the New York judge and her tough talk.
Fake It 'Til You Make It
In April 0f 2013 some litigants who had first appeared on the program in 2010 revealed that the lawsuit they had brought before the court had been falsified. They organized the case so that the award had to go to the plaintiff. The pair were musicians, Kate Levitt and Jonathan Coward. Judge Judy did see in favor of the plaintiff and awarded Levitt $1,250. Along with their $250 appearance fees and their free trip to Hollywood.
The Musicians, friends in real life, split the award equally. It seems the producers knew of the fakery but let it all come to pass despite this knowledge.