“Judge Judy,” or Judy Sheindlin, has earned the spot for the highest-paid television host this year as she reportedly gained $147 million income in 2018, Forbes reported. The sharp-tongued prosecution lawyer managed to triple her annual earnings when she sold the rights to her “Judge Judy” reruns for a projection of $100 million.
The ratings of “Judge Judy” is one of the major factors why Sheindlin managed to earn the prime spot this year as the arbitration-based reality court show is pulling in more than 10 million viewers each day. But what really makes the show successful is its target audience.
The primary viewers of “Judge Judy” are women aged 18-49-years-old. And since women control 90 percent of the household income and having final say on various purchases of the family, advertisers spend most of their money on shows such as this.
It is for this reason that Sheindlin managed to negotiate such a favorable deal on her shows. There’s also the fact that “Judge Judy” produces a lot of memorable moments that have gone viral time and again across the internet.
Among these is titled “Dumb and Dumber” where one of the two defendants accidentally confessed to a crime they committed. Another is between two parties who are fighting over ownership of a dog. During the proceedings, the dog was brought inside the courtroom where it excitedly ran back to its real owner after one of the defendants carried the pup inside. “That’s all, take the dog home,” Judge Judy said after witnessing the heartfelt display.
Considering all these factors into account, it’s no surprise that “Judge Judy” is among – if not – the most popular daytime shows in the United States. Sheindlin even holds the Guinness World Record for having served as the longest arbitrator in courtroom-themed programming in history. And with more episodes to come in the future, Sheindlin is expected to continue building her salary and legacy.
