Judge Judy — 10 Shocking Things You Don’t Know About The Daytime Star!

The National ENQUIRER caught Judge Judy getting accused of all kinds of fakery over her popular courtroom "reality show." There are still millions of viewers who can't wait to tune in to see retired Manhattan family court Judge Judith Sheindlin laying down the law on "Judge Judy." But there's even more to know about the legalistic lady — and The ENQUIRER has shocking secrets and even a few fun facts...

She may be mocked for being a TV-show judge, but Judge Judy — back when she was Judith Blum — struck a blow for feminism in 1965 when she graduated first in her class from New York Law School!

Judge Judy's career almost ended as soon as it began after a shocking AIDS uproar. She was the target of death threats and a campaign to take her off television after she went to Australia and was asked about a campaign  to prevent AIDS by providing addicts with clean needles. "Give them all dirty needles and let them die," laughed Judge Judy — igniting a scandal that her career probably couldn't survive today!

But plenty of gay viewers were ready to forgive Judy's AIDS crack after she publicly opposed the passing of Proposition 8 — where voters went to the 2008 polls to ban gay marriage in California. "We've got a lot of trouble in the world," said Judy. "Why the state should be interested in proscribing the word 'marriage' from two people who love each other, who are responsible, tax-paying, productive people, who have created a family — why the state would have an interest in proscribing that kind of conduct, I don't understand."

The television judge owes her success to some other hard-hitting TV types — with Judge Judy getting offered her own show after being profiled on "60 Minutes," which also got her the book deal for "Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining."

Judy and her husband should be used to plea bargaining things out at home.  She first married Jerry Sheindlin in 1977, and they divorced in 1990. The split didn't work out, though, and they were married again in 1991!

She later explained that her marriage to Jerry broke up the first time after she needed time to grieve over the death of her father.

Judy's cut back on guest-star turns, but the celebrity judge made some fun appearances early in her career. She popped up on episodes of "Saturday Night Live," appeared with Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox in the TV-movie "CHiPS '99," and even spent some time on a revival of "Hollywood Squares."

In July 2010, Judy negotiated a new contract that paid her $45 million per year. It was later reported in October 2013 that she now earns $47 million per year for "Judge Judy." That works out to a little over $900,000 per day annually — since she only works 52 days a year!

On March 30, 2011, Judy was admitted to the hospital after she fainted on the set of "Judge Judy" — and it was later learned that she suffered a mini-stroke. Judy, 73, still says that her retirement depends on the ratings of her television show!

Judge Judy is the most popular judge to ever star on television — judging from all of the other courtroom shows that have fallen in the ratings over the years. Judy's closest competition was Judge Joseph A. Wapner of "The People's Court," whose own run lasted eleven years. Wapner was even a temporary animal court Judge on "Animal Court" in 1998. And he's still alive at the age of 96, so Judge Judy better stay on her toes!