Judy Judge & Her Husband Jerry Sheindlin Have A Bigger Age Gap Than We Knew

When she became a household name in the mid-'90s, Judge Judy had already been married to Jerry Sheindlin for two decades. Since then, fans have seen quite a bit of Judge Jerry, who went on to host the arbitration show "The People's Court" between 1999 and 2001. But what many might not know is that Judy and Jerry have quite an age gap. Born in October 1942, Judy is nine years younger than Jerry, who was born in November 1933. 

When they met at a New York bar in 1976, Judy was a family court prosecutor in her mid-30s, while Jerry was a defense attorney in his mid-40s. Though significant, the age gap didn't make any difference. As it turned out, the two had a lot in common and were in similar places both in their personal lives and careers. Judy was a newly single mother of two, having divorced her first husband, Ronald Levy, that same year. Similarly, Jerry had a previous marriage and kids under his belt. However, he had yet to go through with the divorce, even though he had been separated from his first wife for a few years.

But Judy made sure he took care of that before they got together. They continued along a similar path throughout their marriage. Even after entering her octogenarian years, Judy still didn't think their age gap made much of a difference, mainly because Jerry has taken meticulous care of his health. "He loves himself desperately. Jerry is almost 10 years older than I am, but I think his goal is to outlive me," she laughed in a 2021 interview with People. And she loves that about him.

Judge Judy and Jerry Sheindlin didn't have a meet-cute exactly. Proving that Judy's signature sass wasn't faked for TV purposes, her first interaction with her future husband was a confrontation. Jerry was at a bar talking to a reporter about a murder case he had just tried when she stormed toward them. "Judy came walking in and put her finger in my face and said, 'And who is this?'" Jerry told the Los Angeles Times in 1999. But underneath her work preoccupations, she noticed a few things.

The defense lawyer had a fine bod and great footwear. "He was cute-looking, and he had shiny shoes," she told Katie Couric in 2013. "I was very impressed with his shiny shoes." From the moment they got together, they have paid particular attention to their physiques in an effort to continue to look good to each other. "If you fall instantaneously for somebody, that means that there's a physical attraction. And people age, people change; you can either do it gracefully or you can say, 'I give up,'" she said in the 2021 People interview. 

They chose the former approach, and it has paid off. "Jerry just celebrated his 90th birthday and I still like to look at him when he walks in the room — that's a key," Judy told E! News in January 2024. They accomplish their goals by integrating exercise into their daily routines, often hitting the gym together in the mornings for at least an hour, but often more. "I have a responsibility to keep the vessel in shape and looking good," she told the New York Post in 2024.