The end of an era: 'Judge Judy' to end after 25 seasons
The verdict is in: Judge Judy Sheindlin will recuse herself from the bench after a 25-season run on her mega popular reality show "Judge Judy."
Variety confirms that Sheindlin made the big announcement during a pre-recorded interview on "Ellen" that airs Monday.
For those upset to see the series come to an end have a little while longer with the long-running syndicated show. The final season has yet to air, meaning fans can catch all-new episodes into the 2021 TV season.
In addition, CBS Television Distribution will allow stations to air repeat episodes so there won't be a "Judge Judy"-less TV landscape for quite some time.
This isn't the end of Sheindlin's television career. In fact, the Emmy Award-winning star intends to launch a brand new series called "Judy Justice." Unfortunately, Sheindlin wasn't too forthcoming with information about her new project.
"I’ve had a 25-year-long marriage with CBS and it’s been successful," the judge told Ellen. "But, I’m not tired. So 'Judy Justice' will be coming out a year later."
In addition, she revealed why it was time to say goodbye to "Judge Judy."
"Next year will be our 25th season, and CBS, I think, sort of felt, they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program, because now they have 25 years of reruns," the 77-year-old explained.
Sheindlin is currently one of the highest-paid TV stars, collecting an astounding $47 million a year for "Judge Judy" alone.