Judge Judy Sheindlin has been shocking television viewers for 23 years. Now 76-years-old, she has no plans to step away from her show anytime soon. According to Today , Judge Judy has a little more than two years left on her contract, after which she hopes to continue doing what she loves.
While on the Ellen Friday, Judge Judy explained how she is determined to not let getting older to cause her to slow down and keep from having a good time. Her reality court show premiered on September 6, 1996. At the time, there weren’t any other shows on television like it. The People’s Court came before her from 1981 to 1993, but was canceled due to low ratings. There was something about Sheindlin’s tough personality and no-nonsense attitude that kept viewers coming back for more.
As time has passed, Judge Judy hasn’t lost the spark that made her show what it was. When Ellen inquired about her feelings regarding turning 76, she said that she has never stopped feeling young. She recalled the first time someone ever told her that age was just a number. It was Brady Bunch star Florence Henderson who taught her that just because you’re reached a certain age doesn’t mean you’ve lost your independence or ability to live life as you desire.
. @JudgeJudy is about to take some internet scammers DOWN. pic.twitter.com/BPwMtSY6lA
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) November 9, 2018
After the judge had dinner with Henderson for her 70th birthday, she remembers asking her if she was sure about driving home by herself. Henderson insisted that turning 70 wasn’t going to change anything.
“I said, ’70 is 70,’” Sheindlin recalled, “and she said, ‘Judy, 70 is the new 50. It’s just a number.’”
While some have asked why Sheindlin doesn’t just retire and spend some much deserved time away from the spotlight, she claims she’d get bored if she didn’t work.
“What would you do every day?” Sheindlin asked about retirement. “This job, believe it or not, it’s an anchor because it gives you someplace to go. I work every other week,” she added. “So that’s my anchor, and it gives me plenty of downtime to get bored, and when I get bored I usually harass people.”
Judge Judy says that she has observed many people around her slow down from their fast-paced lives as they’ve gotten older and it never appealed to her.
“The people I know who are older and spirited look like they’re having a good time,” she continued. “The people who are older and don’t do anything to keep themselves younger don’t look like they’re getting the best bang for their buck out of life.”