While many people were looking forward to seeing Judge Judy Sheindlin on TV again with her new show, “Judge Justice,” it looks like her sidekick bailiff Petri Hawkins Byrd won’t be joining her.
Once IMDB TV released a trailer for the show, folks appeared to be surprised that Bailiff Byrd was nowhere to be found and had been replaced by Kevin Rasco, former security for Judy Sheindlin.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Byrd stated he wasn’t told about the new show. He mentioned he found out about “Judge Justice,” when it was announced on “The Ellen Degeneres Show” in March of 2020.
While discussing the show, he stated he would’ve auditioned for a chance to be on the new program. “My assumption is if you were going on to do something else, that you were at least going to ask me if I wanted to have the opportunity to audition for the role,” Byrd expressed to EW.
Byrd also went on to say that he eventually called and was told he was “priced out.” He stated, “It wasn’t until July that I called the judge and asked, ‘Hey, should I look for something else, or am I included in the Judy Justice project?’”
Byrd continued, “She informed me I was not being asked to come along on the project. I didn’t inquire as to why, that’s her choice. But she did inform me that fundamentally, I was priced out as the new bailiff on her new show. My salary would have been too much. I was curious: How would she know? She didn’t ask me. She didn’t give me an opportunity to have accepted a lower salary.”
This came shortly after his wife, also a producer for “Judge Judy” and was asked to join “Judge Justice,” Makita Bond-Byrd, had brain surgery and doctors successfully removed 95% of her tumor.
Byrd stated he knows God has something bigger for him. “I’m like if I did something wrong or offended you or brought shame to the show, or if was involved in numerous scandals in the 25 years we were together, I might understand why you didn’t want to bother in the end,” says Byrd. “That’s just the way it went. I just know that God has something else for me.”
After stating he doesn’t think Judy realized how “confused” and “dismayed” he was, Byrd stated their conversation ended “pleasantly enough.”
Judy did make a statement through her spokesperson and stated, “Byrd is terrific and we had a great 25-year run. This is a whole new program with a whole new cast and an exciting energy.”
Roomies, what do you think of this?
