Beloved TV Judge Greg Mathis says he quickly learned there were things fellow court personality Judge Judy could do that he simply could not because of his race.
While walking the red carpet this week at the 49th NAACP Image Awards, Mathis spoke of the moment he realized he just needed to be himself.
“I tried to be like Judge Judy,” the Image Award-winning judge said. “And she was mean all the time … Ultimately, the producers said, ‘Well no, an older white woman can talk to white folks like that but a young Black man can’t.”
Mathis explained he then tried switching things up, taking a more “comical and socially conscious” approach.
“White people love to see Black folk sing and dance and crack jokes, but they don’t want you to be too serious and political,” he added, chuckling.
The “Judge Mathis” show premiered in September 1999 and has been on air for 19 seasons. The most recent season premiered Sept. 4, 2017.
