different bailiff presented, and Sheindlin additionally remarking that she was solo as far as a cast for the past 25 years in advertising Judy Justice as conversely having a cast. This was met with widespread outrage and criticism from Judge Judy fans. Addressing fan complaints over his absence in an October 8, 2021, interview with Entertainment Weekly, Byrd stated that he was not asked to participate in Judy Justice. Byrd added that he was not offered an audition nor communicated with at all in regards to the spin-off since Sheindlin first disclosed news of the court show in a March 2020 Ellen DeGeneres Show appearance—news that came as a surprise to Byrd. It was not until July 2021 after the Judge Judy program ended and production of Judy Justice began was there a discussion, resulting from Byrd himself phoning Sheindlin at the behest of his wife Makita (former Judge Judy producer who was requested to return for the spin-off series but could not due to suffering from a cancerous brain tumor). According to Byrd, when he asked Sheindlin if he would have a role in the streaming series, Sheindlin explained that he was not invited to take part in the program because his salary would have been too high. Byrd described feeling perplexed by Sheindlin's statements, stating he never had the opportunity to discuss salary or lower salaries with anyone. Byrd has described feeling "confused and dismayed" by Sheindlin's treatment. He added, however, that he was humbled by the show of support from fans. In her own statements to the press, Sheindlin remarked, "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." In following appearances on The Real, Entertainment Tonight Canada and The Black News Channel, Byrd quipped that Sheindlin's treatment of him was akin to Batman abandoning Robin. When questioned on the nature of his relationship with Sheindlin, Byrd answered that he and Sheindlin never treated each other like friends throughout the court show's entire 25 season run, nor while working within the family court system prior to that. Rather, Byrd described himself as only having a professional relationship with Sheindlin limited to behaving cordially around each other, Byrd using the analogy of what a relationship might be between a low-ranking mail clerk employed for Bill Gates at one of his companies.