Judge Judy fans are not pleased with Judy Sheindlin's decision not to invite Petri Hawkins Byrd onto her new show, Judy Justice. Byrd was Judge Judy's bailiff throughout the show's entire 25-year run and worked with Sheindlin when she was a Manhattan family court judge. The new series debuts in November on IMDB TV and fans quickly noted Byrd's absence from the show's trailer. Entertainment Weekly reached out to Byrd to find out what happened. He tells the magazine that he found out about Justice Judy the same way almost everyone else did, by Sheindlin's announcement on a March 2020 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. According to Byrd, Sheindlin never discussed the new show with him, even while filming Judge Judy's 25th and final season through the pandemic, with Scheindlin presiding remotely. At the same time, Byrd worked on-set with the crew.
"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 tells EW. But Byrd says Sheindlin never brought it up and he was too preoccupied with other matters to ask about it. His wife, Judge Judy producer Makita Bond-Byrd, had to undergo brain surgery.
"I didn't have time to think about or ask about Judy Justice," says Byrd. His wife is going through her third round of chemotherapy after surgeons removed 95% of the tumor from her brain. "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?'"
"She informed me I was not being asked to come along on the project," he continued. "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. 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."
Kevin Rasco, whom Byrd says worked as personal security for Sheindlin during Judge Judy, is Judy Justice's new bailiff. Sheindlin released a statement on Friday that reads, "Byrd is terrific and we had a great 25-year run. This is a whole new program with a whole new cast and an exciting energy."
Fans are upset on Byrd's behalf. Keep reading to see what they're saying. Justice Judy will debut on IMDB TV on November 1st.
It Was Good While It Lasted