Judge Judy Sheindlin Reveals Unexpected New Project as She Steps Away From TV After 30 Years

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Judge Judy Sheindlin is retiring from television after 30 years, but the 84-year-old isn’t leaving the entertainment business behind.

Sheindlin, whose final episode of “Judy Justice” aired on October 22, plans to keep producing television shows, including her son Adam Levy’s courtroom series, “Adam’s Law.” She is also developing an adult animated series called “Judyverse.”

The former Manhattan family court judge said she wants to keep creating shows without having to appear on camera every day.

“I have a lot of other things of interest,” Sheindlin told People. “I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there.”

Sheindlin announced her retirement in September 2026 as she celebrated the 30th anniversary of her original courtroom series, “Judge Judy.”

Judge Judy Sheindlin Reveals Why She’s Retiring From Television

During an appearance on “Good Morning America,” Sheindlin confirmed she was ready to step away from her longtime on-camera role.

“I’m retiring from in front of the camera,” she said.

Sheindlin also credited her son, Levy, with helping her decide. Levy, a lawyer, had recently launched his own syndicated courtroom show, “Adam’s Law,” which his mother produces.

“First of all, he was ready,” she explained. “He was finally ready … I’m still going to be creative, still out there. I’m just going to take the message and put it in a little bit of a different form.”

Along with her work behind the scenes, Sheindlin plans to spend more time with her family and enjoy some of her favorite activities, including afternoon naps.

She also reflected on her accomplishments when asked about the legacy she hopes to leave behind.

“I don’t have to prove anything else. I did it,” she said.

Judge Judy Reflects on 30 Years of Courtroom Television

Sheindlin became a household name when “Judge Judy” premiered in September 1996.

Before her television career, she attended New York Law School and worked as a prosecutor in New York’s family court system. She later became a criminal court judge and was promoted to supervising judge in Manhattan’s family court system in 1986.

She left the courtroom in 1996 to become a television arbitrator, handling small claims disputes on her syndicated show.

Although Sheindlin was not serving as an official judge on the program, her decisions were legally binding because participants agreed to arbitration before appearing.

“Judge Judy” ran for 25 seasons and aired more than 7,000 episodes before ending in May 2021.

Sheindlin returned to television later that year with “Judy Justice” on Amazon Prime Video, continuing to resolve disputes for another five years.

During a September 2026 interview with W Magazine, Sheindlin explained why she believes audiences have continued watching courtroom television for three decades.

“People are frustrated in the same way they were 30 years ago,” she said. “They like rules, law, order, and personal responsibility. They like their neighbors to be nice and quiet, to keep their cats on their own property. There are reasons for bad behavior, but there are never excuses for bad behavior if it affects someone else.”