End of an era! Judge Judy reveals show is ending after 25 years on air

She is the highest-paid reality TV personality in the world and has graced our screens for almost a quarter of a century, resolving legal spats in her famous courtroom, but now Judy Sheindlin has revealed that her hugely successful show will soon be resigned to the history books

The 77-year-old television personality broke the news on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the US this week, as she confessed that after 25 years on air, Judge Judy will now exist only in the form of re-runs.

Judy confirmed that the upcoming season of the CBS show will be the last, however old episodes will still be shown as, in 2017, the network purchased Judy’s entire back catalogue for more than $150 million.

“Judge Judy, you’ll be able to see next year — a full year, all new shows,” she told Ellen. “The following couple of years, you should be able to catch all the re-runs that CBS has sold to the stations that are currently carrying Judge Judy.

“CBS sort of felt, I think, they wanted to optimally utilise the repeats of my program. Now they have 25 years of my re-runs.”

Fans of Judge Judy needn’t worry though as the straight-talking star isn’t hanging up her robes just yet as she went on to reveal that the end of her long-running show has paved the way for a new venture, which will be titled Judy Justice.

While the details of Judy’s new series have not yet been revealed, the show is set to make its debut in 2021 – however it is not expected to air on the same network, with Judy telling the chat show host it will “be going elsewhere”.

Judy said: “I’m not tired, so Judy Justice will be coming out a year later.”

After more than two decades broadcasting into living rooms around the world, Judge Judy has become a celebrity in her own right and earned a legion of fans, however she divided opinion last year when she debuted a brand new look.

Her look has barely changed throughout the show’s entire run, however in 2019 Judy ditched her signature bob hairstyle and showed off longer hair which she pulled back into a ponytail.

Petri Hawkins-Byrd, who appears as Judy’s bailiff on the popular series, shared a photo of Judy’s new hair in February last year, and fans couldn’t believe the transformation. “Change is good,” he teased, alongside a photo of the mother-of-five.

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Fans weren’t sure what to make of the style though and offered their own judgement on social media. Some thought the new look did wonders for Judy with one fan writing on Instagram: “Judge Judy you are rocking that ponytail, wear it more often you are beautiful.” Another person agreed and added: “She looks young and cute with the new hair.”

Others admitted they were “shocked” by the new style. One person said: “I just saw her today with this hair style I freaked out but she looks great.” While another suggested it makes her look older.