the proceedings. On occasion, Byrd nonchalantly disagreed with Sheindlin when she bounced a question off of him for his agreement, often in relation to dressing down the parties. Another running gag, Sheindlin frequently relied on Byrd's sophistication and academic knowledge, Byrd having to intercede in areas to which she struggled: mathematics, new media, social media, current fads, etc. Byrd also routinely delivered evidence to Sheindlin while having his head and eye contact directed away from her off to his sides, a trait observed publicly by Amy Poehler. A trademarked pet peeve of Byrd's was frequently having to block litigants from attempting to deliver evidence to Sheindlin themselves directly when they were unaware of the show's practice to hand evidence over to the bailiff—although, on occasion, Sheindlin requested litigants to approach the bench, for example, to present evidence of bodily injuries or document clarifications. Sheindlin often comically incorporated Byrd in the midst of her critiques and reprimands at litigants, as by sharing with the parties of Byrd's disapproving thoughts of them without any actual communication of this from Byrd at all. Of their on-screen relationship, Sheindlin had quipped, "We're like two old married people who have reached an accord. I can rely on him to be my protector. We don't have to exchange words—he knows what I'm thinking. People who watch us sense we have a history, and that is very important. Byrd described Sheindlin as "Blunt, witty, and sharp as a tack." Though when asked if he'd like to appear as a litigant on the program, Byrd answered candidly (laughing), "Hell no. And I don't advise any of my friends to do so. Not if they want to maintain their love of the judicial system." Byrd's duties and involvement were significantly reduced during the show's 25th and final season due to the COVID-19 pandemic: while he still introduced and closed out the cases, he no longer delivered evidence back and forth between Sheindlin and the parties and rarely communicated back and forth with Sheindlin. The cause of this was due to Sheindlin adjudicating the proceedings remotely from New York, while Byrd and the disputants still reported to the Los Angeles studio set. Other entertainment media appearances Byrd was also on the long running UPN show "The Parkers". He portrayed a motorcycle Police Officer. Byrd has participated in several movies and TV shows, including Tom Hennessy, Soul Lake (a 2015 independent