Judy Sheindlin stunned when CBS turned down her new program after brutally ditching Judge Judy in its 25th year
Judy Sheindlin stunned when CBS turned down her new program after brutally ditching Judge Judy in its 25th year
NewsColony
THE bombshell exit of Judge Judy Sheindlin caught many by surprise over the weekend, including the popular daytime host.
Judge Judy had been expecting her show to be cancelled after 25 seasons according to sources, but had absolutely no idea CBS was also going to pass on her new pitch, Justice Judy.
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“Judy made a lot of people at CBS angry over the years just by being herself,” said one source.
“She does not hold back and she does not try to sugarcoat situations.”
That source continued: “This is what draws in 10 million viewers to her show each day, and what ultimately drove CBS executives to their wit’s end.”
Some at CBS were particularly upset about comments Judy had made in the wake of two multi-million dollar lawsuits that were filed by former staffers against her and CBS.
Judy’s remarks during one deposition in 2016 were a particular source of anger for some at CBS said a network source, with those individuals believing the star’s response to some questions made the network look weak by bowing to her demands.
She also did little to try and mend fences with Rebel Entertainment – the company that filed the lawsuit – or its founder, Richard Lawrence.
“Mr. Lawrence should actually be kissing this right in Macy’s window because my contract with CBS for more than a decade now does not include a last look, which means the following. Which means they can’t match another offer, which means I can produce this show myself for decades,” said Judy.
“I choose not to do that because of my age and because of the fact that I like the uncomplicated life I lead.”
The most shocking part of that testimony however was her breakdown of how negotiations went between her wand the network every three years.
“And we go to the Grill on the Alley with the president of the company,” said Judy.
“We sit across the table, and I hand him the envelope and I say, ‘Don’t read it now, let’s have a nice dinner. Call me tomorrow. You want it, fine. Otherwise, I’ll produce it myself.’ That’s the negotiation.”
She backed that up last week, walking away with complete ownership of her new show and earnings of $667 million.
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The Rebel lawsuit was settled by CBS in early February, and less than a week later Judy was preparing to shop her new show to other distributors.
The terms of that settlement have not been made public, but CBS is believed to have paid millions to Rebel Entertainment after they sued over contractually due payments and bonuses that executives argued were owed to them for their work on the show.
And another suit is looming, this time with the two women who claim they created the show with Judy.
One of those woman is seeking $4.95 million in damages.
It is unclear if CBS did not give Judy an offer or would not match her demand, and reps for both the star and the network did not respond to requests for comment.
There is a loose timeline of events however thanks to Judy and her longtime lawyer trademarking the name for her new show back in March 2019.
From there, things proceeded as is standard in these cases, until last month.
On February 11, Judy was forced to file for an extension, suggesting she had hoped to lock down the details of the show by that time.
Instead, she now finds herself searching for distribution, and during an appearance on Ellen made it clear she will not return to CBS and might run her show against reruns of her old program.
“CBS has been a fine partner for 20-plus years,” said the 77-year-old former family court judge in a statement and during her appearance in Ellen.
“They have decided to monetize their ‘Judge Judy’ library of reruns. I wish them good luck with their experiment.”
Judge Judy was already sitting on an over-$500 million-dollar fortune back in August 2017 when CBS started negotiating what would become their final deal with the star.
It was then announced in early 2018 that the show would run through 2021, with Judge Judy pocketing $47 million for her 25th season.
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There was also a nine-figure deal for her library that paid her somewhere between $100 to $120 million.
Sources said that it was clear to both parties at this point that Judge Judy would come to an end in 2021, but the understanding was that Judy would stay on with her new show.
CBS and a rep for Judge Judy did not respond to requests for comment, while them judge herself was silenced with a case of laryngitis.
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Source: The Sun UK
The post Judy Sheindlin stunned when CBS turned down her new program after brutally ditching Judge Judy in its 25th year appeared first on NewsColony.
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