Judge Judy and Jerry Sheindlin's relationship timeline explored as she opens up about divorcing him back in 1990

Daytime Emmy winner Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy in the titular reality show that ran for 25 seasons, shared a rare glimpse of her marriage life to husband Jerry Sheindlin, whom she divorced back in 1990 only to marry him again a few months later.

Talking about the reason she remarried her husband in 1991 during her appearance on Who's Talking to Chris Wallace on Friday, June 21, she said:

"That's a long story, but the end of the story is: I found...that most men were alike. They have basic needs that are different from women's."

Elaborating on what those "needs" are, she mentioned:

"They like to be fed. They like to be cuddled. They like to have their alone time that you take out the alone box and leave [them] alone. And if you feed 'em and love 'em up a little bit and don't get in their way too much, they're happy."

The couple first married in 1977, but 12 years after they wed, they got a divorce. But not a year later, the duo reunited and married once again and they've remained together ever since. Talking about that secret to over 40 years of marriage to the former New York Supreme Court trial judge, minus that divorce blunder, Judy said that it's his good "physique."

"He takes wonderful care of himself. And I sort of like it, because he maintains that physique that I fell in love with 48 years ago."

The reality TV star was also quick to add that her husband still has other qualities she likes, saying that he "still has a sense of humor" and is "really smart and sharp."

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A closer look at Judge Judy and Jerry Sheindlin's relationship timeline

Judge Judy has been married three times, and twice to the same person. Before she and Jerry Sheindlin were together, the star judge was married to Ronald Levy in 1964 and they have two children together. As for Jerry Sheindlin, he shares three kids with his first wife Suzanne Rosenthal.

Jerry and Judy Sheindlin (Image via Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

Here's a closer look at the duo's second-chance relationship.

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1977

While it was unsure when the couple met each other, the former NY Supreme Court trial judge mentioned to the LA Times he met Judge Judy while out in a bar with a reporter from the NY Post, talking about the latest murder case he tried as a defense lawyer. Recalling his wife's entrance at the place and their first meet, he said:

"Judy came walking in and put her finger in my face and said, 'And who is this?' I said, 'Lady, get your finger out of my face.' We've been together ever since."

And in 1977, the couple got married, and, according to Judy, she had to "drag him to the altar." It was both their second marriage, and Judy mentioned in the What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life book by Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue released in 2020 that her husband was hesitant about the idea of getting married again.

She recalled that, despite being separated from his wife for several years, Jerry was hesitant to get a divorce, but she put down an ultimatum after a year of them being together. She mentioned:

"I said, 'I want to see your divorce in the newspaper or don't bother calling again.'"

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1990

The couple had a brief break from their marriage in 1990, shortly after Judy's father passed away. In Thomas and Donahue's book, the former NY Supreme Court trial judge revealed what led to their divorce.

Talking about how Judy could not feel much of his support, he said:

"She said to me, 'If you can't maneuver this, I'm going to divorce you.' And I said, 'Oh yeah? I dare you." And the next day I got divorce papers. The next day. So, that was the end of that."

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1991

Unfortunately for the couple, the divorce didn't give them much relief as they missed each other, as Jerry recalled the time of their separation in the book. He noted:

"I missed her presence the very first week that we were separated. It was the first time in years that we didn't get to see each other every single day. It was a strange experience."

As for Judge Judy, she noted that she "liked being married" and that she "missed him" afterward. Not long after they had dinner as an ex-couple, where she was telling him about a bad date, they gave their marriage a second go in 1991.

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Over three decades since their second marriage, the couple continues to have love and fondness towards each other as evidenced by how Judge Judy gushed about her husband, now 90, in her latest interview.