Good Hang with Amy Poehler – Judge Judy Sheindlin

Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Amy Poehler (A)
Guest: Judge Judy Sheindlin (B)
Superfan Call-in: Eileen Roman (C)

Episode Overview

Amy Poehler welcomes the legendary Judge Judy Sheindlin to her show, with a conversation traversing Judy's roots, her intuitive people-reading, the importance of honesty, knowing your worth, career reinvention, aging with relevance, and their newfound friendship. The episode opens with a heartfelt call-in from a superfan (and mother of a producer), setting the tone for an episode about women’s agency, directness, family dynamics, and living unapologetically.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Judge Judy’s Lasting Appeal

• Superfan Eileen Roman’s Reflections (02:45 – 10:22)
  • “There was nobody like her on TV… She was just real. No-nonsense, straight talking, hardworking woman… I have so much respect for her.” – Eileen (03:18)
  • Eileen credits Judy with teaching her to stand up for herself, the importance of honesty, and practical lessons about life and the law (“If you break an engagement, you gotta give that ring back”).
  • Both Amy and Eileen reflect on generational shifts in women’s work and independence, and how both felt empowered and seen through Judy’s presence.

2. On Intuition and Reading People

• Eileen’s Question for Judy: Did you always have the ability to read people or did it develop with time? (09:10 – 10:22)
  • The notion that Judy sees through dishonesty becomes a running theme.
  • Amy quips, “I’m worried because… what if she just, in the middle of it, goes, ‘I don’t believe you.’” (09:37)

3. AI, Media, and Modern Complications

• Judge Judy’s Thoughts on AI and Deepfakes (11:18 – 12:33)
  • The duo discuss viral AI-generated Judge Judy clips.
  • “They can really have you say anything… Is that fair? I’ve seen some very reputable journalists talking about [stuff] that were clearly all AI generated.” – Judy (11:47)
  • Judy and Amy note generational divides in media literacy (“They’re going to get the older population. That’s who they're going to trick” – Amy, 12:26)

4. Kvetching and Consequences

• On Small Social Contracts: Picking Up After Your Dog (13:51 – 16:37)
  • Judy launches into her love for ‘kvetching’ and gives an elaborate, comical hypothetical about dog owners neglecting to pick up after their dogs, and the cascading consequences of careless actions.
  • “There are reasons for behavior, but not excuses for behavior.” – Amy (16:13)
  • Judy underscores that, “...if you don’t do the right thing, eventually... that’s going to come back.” (20:05)

5. Family Values and Upbringing

• Growing Up Sheindlin (20:41 – 25:06)
  • Judy describes a “do-the-right-thing” household with parents who modeled honesty and hard work in 1950s Brooklyn.
  • “My father was a dentist... My mother ran his dental office... There was never a question of trying to get over on the system.” (21:17)
  • She attributes her confidence to her father: “I do think that women find their confidence from their fathers... The women I know who feel terrific about themselves had wonderful, encouraging relationships with their dads.” (23:09)

6. Gender, Work, and Self-Sufficiency

• Judy’s Early Career - Limits and Liberation (25:06 – 29:13)
  • After law school, Judy describes being relegated to sales and secretarial work despite her credentials.
  • “The man they put in corporate... and me, they gave... calling drugstores and getting orders. He was doing law work. I was doing sales.” (25:37)
  • She explains her return to the workforce after children and emphasizes the importance for women to have a means to support themselves:
  • “If a woman doesn’t have a way of supporting herself, she is in a position of being controlled… In the back of your mind, you should always have a way of saying, ‘I don’t like this. I would like to change, but I can’t because I have no exit plan.’” (29:15)

7. Reinvention & Confidence in Midlife

• Starting ‘Judge Judy’ in Her 50s (31:30 – 32:19)
  • Judy did not become a TV star until age 52 (“I started my program when I was 52.”)
  • She attributes her TV authenticity to simply being herself (“I didn’t have to make up a person… If that’s the person [they want] why would I want to modify it?”)

8. Honesty, Intuition, and Public Persona

• Reading People and Intolerance for Lies (33:01 – 35:21)
  • “If it doesn’t make sense, it’s usually not true. If the story doesn’t make sense to you… it’s usually not true.” (33:05)
  • Judy shares how she can forgive nervous mistakes, but if lied to once, “everything else you say becomes suspect. Exactly right.” (33:43)
  • Amy notes Judy’s “gestures of grace,” where she gives people a second chance to come clean.

9. Softness Behind the Toughness

• Judy on Her Private Side (36:20 – 38:01)
  • “With my dog... I love to smell her... nothing but giving… If you’re an animal lover, then you know that it’s pure love.” (36:27)

10. Friendship, Working Relationships, and Manifesting Connection

• Amy & Judy’s Friendship Origin (38:02 – 42:18)
  • “I kind of manifested it… forced us to be friends. Thank you for going along with it.” – Amy (38:43)
  • Judy describes Amy as a “mensch” and not phony, contrasting her with other more superficial gestures of fandom.

11. Ambition, Staying Relevant & Reinvention at Any Age

• New Adventures: Baby Judge Judy and Beyond (45:56 – 47:33)
  • Judy pitches using the AI ‘Baby Judge Judy’ character for her own satirical purposes (“I want to take this character and create a South Park Y so I can kvetch through the baby.” 46:27)
  • On aging: “You have to take your next adventure right with your station in life… Now, my next adventure is not being a centerfold.” (47:36)
  • “Wear sleeveless as long as you can. That’s my best advice. And then you have to know when to stop wearing sleeveless.” (48:02)

12. Aging, Relevance, and Defying Cultural Expectations

• “When I was growing up, being in your 80s was, you know, crypt… Now we have people running the country who are in their 80s.” – Amy (49:17)
• “As you get older, you have to stay relevant… If you are interesting, people will want to gravitate to you… You can’t pull me down.” – Judy (50:25)

13. Negotiation, Worth, and Power

• On Knowing and Asking for What You Deserve (51:48 – 56:08)
  • “You have to know your worth… And women often have a problem fully appreciating their worth. I didn’t at the beginning, but… I quickly understood that I could go anywhere, but as hard as you try, you haven’t been able to find anybody to do this.” (51:48)
  • Her negotiation method: Presenting her terms in a sealed envelope, declining counter-offers (“if I take your envelope, it’s a negotiation, and this isn’t a negotiation”). (52:53)
  • “It’s much harder… to turn you down in person than it is to turn down some intermediary…” (56:08)

14. Role Models and Social Change

• Judge Judy reflects on empowering women through her show:
  • “A lot of women… felt there weren’t options for them because… they hadn’t seen situations where women were in control, not only of their own lives but a lot of other people’s too… it made them feel good and perhaps gave them a little bit of a jolt.” (59:03)

15. Polarizing Persona and Embracing Controversy

• “I get fives [stars] and ones. That’s it. You love her or you hate her. As long as you watch.” (62:43)

16. Life Philosophy: Intuition, Non-Navel-Gazing, and Laughter

• “Younger people… are more navel-gazers than I am. I don’t sit there and say, Oh my god, are you in or out or left or right … If I like the pizza, I like the pizza. If I don’t, I don’t.” (64:02)
• Where she finds laughter now: “I have very funny children. Many of them have over-the-top funny sense of the world, funny sense of themselves… Don Rickles made me laugh.” (65:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On cultivating self-assurance:
  • “Everything is by example, Amy. I don’t think… you can tell someone to feel better… All you can do is set the table.” – Judy (63:36)
• On lying:
  • “You can only lie to me once, and then everything else you say becomes suspect.” – Judy (33:43)
• On negotiation:
  • “If I take your envelope, it’s a negotiation, and this isn’t a negotiation.” – Judy (53:06)
• On women’s agency:
  • “If a woman… doesn’t have a way of supporting herself, she is in a position of being controlled.” – Judy (29:15)
• On aging and relevance:
  • “If you are interesting, people will want to gravitate to you. All old people will want to gravitate to you. And you have to be able to say… you can’t pull me down.” – Judy (50:25)
• On authenticity:
  • “The public can tell when you’re a phony. Public can tell whether you believe what you’re talking about.” – Judy (32:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Eileen Roman Superfan segment: 02:45 – 10:22
• Judy on AI, fame, and authenticity: 11:13 – 12:33
• Kvetching, dog owners and consequences: 13:51 – 20:05
• Upbringing, family, and confidence: 20:41 – 25:06
• Law career’s gender barriers and the importance of financial independence: 25:06 – 30:22
• ‘Judge Judy’ starts at 52 and TV persona: 31:30 – 32:19
• Intuition, lies and honesty in court and life: 33:01 – 36:03
• Private Judy: warmth, family, friendships, Amy’s story of their friendship: 36:20 – 42:18
• Reinvention, Baby Judge Judy, and aging advice: 45:56 – 49:04
• On negotiation, worth, and career agency: 51:48 – 56:08
• On role model impact and female empowerment: 59:03 – 60:51
• On being polarizing and loving/hating Judy: 61:10 – 62:43
• Closing: life philosophy, laughter, and non-introspection: 63:36 – 66:59

Tone and Context

The conversation is warm, candid, direct, and peppered with laughs. Amy’s admiration gives way to a free-flowing discussion: Judy, both revered and self-effacing, embodies the no-nonsense, consequence-driven approach that’s made her a cultural icon. They discuss serious topics—women’s roles, aging, societal change—with humor and practical insight.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is more than a star interview: it’s a masterclass in authenticity, life experience, negotiation, and the enduring power of being “undeniably yourself.” Whether you idolize Judge Judy or simply want encouragement on trusting your gut, standing up for yourself, or navigating later-in-life reinventions—there’s wisdom, practical advice, and plenty of laughs.

Takeaways:

• Know your worth, state it directly, and don’t negotiate yourself away.
• Authenticity outlasts trends—people will sense (and respond to) the real thing.
• Small actions (like returning your shopping cart) matter; so do big ones (standing up for yourself).
• Work and financial independence offer agency—especially for women.
• Friendship and relevance don’t expire with age; keep seeking new adventures, and never be afraid of a late start.

“Wear sleeveless as long as you can. That’s my best advice. And then you have to know when to stop wearing sleeveless.”—Judge Judy (48:02)