Judge Judy Opens Up About Her Brief Split From Jerry Sheindlin

Judge Judy Sheindlin has been on television since 1996, and with nearly 30 years on air, it may feel like you know everything about her. But despite being a well-known public figure, Sheindlin tends to keep her personal life a bit more private. However, she recently got vulnerable on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" after opening about her brief split from her husband, Jerry Sheindlin.

Judy and Jerry married in 1977 and were together for over 10 years before things got rocky for the couple. In 1990, they decided it was time to move on and file for divorce. Although, she doesn't talk about the split much, the television star gave some insight to Chris Wallace (via Page Six) on why the two called it quits before rekindling their romance in 1991. She said, "That's a long story, but the end of the story is: I found ... that most men were alike." She elaborated a bit further, explaining that she found that men's needs were different than that of a women's. Judy shared, "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." Judy's comments insinuating the two had different needs was rare, as it's been Jerry who has spoken more about the couple's split over the years.

1990 was a tough year for Judge Judy Sheindlin. Not only did she divorce her husband, Jerry Sheindlin, but she was also dealing with the loss of her father. And it was her father's death that seemed to lead to the couple's divorce.

Apparently, the "Judge Judy" star wasn't receiving the support she needed from Jerry following her father's passing. Jerry didn't know how to handle Judy's loss, and he revealed in Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue's book, "What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life" (via People) that she gave him an ultimatum. He explained, "She said to me, 'If you can't maneuver this, I'm going to divorce you.' And I said, 'Oh, yeah? I dare you.'" But it was Jerry who ended up cutting ties and filing for divorce. He shared, "And the next day I got divorce papers. The next day. So, that was the end of that."

This would mark the end of Judy's second marriage as she had tied the knot once before. But unlike her previous divorce, there was something about her and Jerry's relationship that the couple couldn't let go of, and it wasn't long before they found their way back to one another.

Judge Judy and Jerry Sheindlin's split didn't last long. From the moment they called it quits, Jerry knew they had made a mistake. He told "What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life" (via People), "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 such a strange experience." The television star felt the same, sharing she missed Jerry during their time apart. Luckily, the couple was able to reconnect after agreeing to a date, and by 1991, the two tied the knot — again.

Judy and Jerry remain happily married, and the "Judge Judy" star revealed on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" (via Page Six) what keeps that spark alive. She said, "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." Besides his dashing looks, Judy loves that Jerry is smart and continues to have a sense of humor. So, despite their relationship facing a couple of ups and downs, they have overcome those difficult situations and remain madly in love.