Online Hoax Declares Judge Judy Passed Away on Her 84th Birthday

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A viral hoax started taking over the internet yesterday, claiming that the iconic Judge Judy had passed away. Fans were left alarmed and devastated, though the rumor as since been debunked and Judy is alive and well.

What Happened??

A page on Facebook made a post joking about the world losing 83-year-old Judge Judy meant entirely harmlessly because she is now instead 84. The post included a black and white snap of the popular TV judge as if in her memory, with the words “today we lost 83 year old judge Judy” penned over the top. However, upon reading the caption of the post, the fact it’s a joke becomes more apparent.

It reads: “Today we lost 83-year-old Judge Judy because she is now 84. Happy birthday to the legendary TV judge who has spent decades putting people in their place, handing out reality checks and making grown adults regret ever stepping into her courtroom. 84 years old and she’s still serving more sentences than most people have had hot dinners. The court is adjourned.”

Fans React

Fans of Judy reacted in utter panic, scrambling to Google whether she was still alive and expressing their fright over the joke in the post’s comments section.

One user said: “If you guys read the whole thing, it’s saying happy birthday not saying we lost her to death,” which to date has over 2,000 upvotes from the public.

A second shared: “Y’all could of just said “Happy Birthday to Judge Judy” some people probably didn’t read the top and think she’s passed.”

Meanwhile others added “See y’all can’t be playing with my heart like this”, “Got me for a second”, “Not funny” and “Now why would y’all do that.”

Though many fans found the joke hilarious and chimed in with laughter in the comments. One said: “Does Judy know she is gone?” Other fans added “Where did you lose her? Did you find her yet?”, “Did she move out of the country?”, and “Lost, where?”

Judy’s New Career Move

After three decades of hosting the much-loved “Judge Judy”, Judy Sheindlin announced earlier this year that she was going to be retiring. However, the star already has plans to start another series which still includes a judge that shares her name

Speaking to PEOPLE at her time about the decision to retire, Judy shared: “I have a lot of other things of interest. I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there.”

One thing Judy is currently working on to continue her message is the production of a show called “Judyverse”. It will be an animated adult series that draws inspiration from AI and internet videos, featuring a tiny baby Judge Judy. Though little else is known about what the show will be like.

Judy passed her torch as TV’s most loved judge over to her son Adam Levy, who now hosts his own show called “Adam’s Law”, so fans still have something to enjoy! Gushing about Adam’s potential to do a great job on television, Judy said: “There aren’t a lot of people who can carry a half hour on their own unscripted. He has what it takes.”