Judge Judy details tension with CBS ahead of ending her hit show: 'You disrespected my creation'

Judge Judy Sheindlin's decision to leave her hit show after 25 years wasn't what you'd call a snap judgement.

In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Sheindlin revealed that tensions with Judge Judy studio CBS contributed to her departure from the long-running daytime court show. According to the Journal, CBS bought out Sheindlin's ownership of Judge Judy reruns to prevent the host from shopping the show's library to other companies.

"CBS, I think, sort of felt they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program because now they have 25 years of reruns," Sheindlin told Ellen DeGeneres last year. "So what they decided to do was to sell a couple of years' worth of reruns."

Furthermore, Sheindlin said that she felt "disrespected" by CBS's handling of Hot Bench, a panel-based court show she created that debuted in 2014. Per the Journal, some CBS-owned stations "in major markets" bumped Hot Bench to make room for The Drew Barrymore Show, a syndicated talk show hosted by the actress that's also produced and distributed by CBS.

"You disrespected my creation," Sheindlin said of the studio's handling of Hot Bench. "And you were wrong. Not only in disrespecting my creation but your gamble in what you put in its place."

"We had a nice marriage," she added. "It's going to be a Bill and Melinda Gates divorce."

Representatives for CBS didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment, but CBS Media Ventures president Steve LoCasci told the Journal in a statement, "We have had an incredibly successful relationship with Judy over the last 25 years. It has been an honor representing her show, and just like there has never been another Oprah, there will never be another Judge Judy."

Meanwhile, Sheindlin will move to streaming with a new show, Judy Justice, on the Amazon-owned IMDb TV. A premiere date for the series has yet to be announced.

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