Judge Joe Brown is disputing insinuations that he sexually assaulted Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. His comments emerged after the “Abbott Elementary” star shared a story of being forced to kiss a television judge who shared the same studio as her during the filming of another project years ago.
Though she did not name the person, social media instantly pegged Brown — the first African-American person to preside over courtroom series on the small screen— as the culprit.
During a recent interview with Angela Yee on her new Power 105.1 show, “Way Up,” she told the story about the uncomfortable encounter.
“I could tell you another time this was a famous TV judge, not Judge Mathis, I love him … He’s a great man … not him … another one,” Lee Ralph said.
“I’m at a very public place … I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time. He and I were on the same network,” she remembered. “This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around, and rammed his nasty tongue down my throat.”
According to Lee Ralph, many people from the network witnessed the incident
The original “Dreamgirl” said she was so outraged that she called the then-mayor of New Orleans, Marc H. Moriel, and told him about the violation.
Twitter assumed Lee Ralph’s mystery judge was Joe Brown, the television personality who retired as host of the second-longest-running court reality show in television history.
However, the syndicated history-maker attempted to shut down the rumors, threatening to sue media outlets that alleged he was the person Lee Ralph was talking about on the radio show.
“This is a warning. I might bring in my legal crew and proceed for defamation of character,” Brown said.
Adding, “You see when they put my face next to hers and they start doing that little stuff there, that becomes innuendo.”
“This is a warning. I might bring in my legal crew and proceed for defamation of character,” he growled. “You see when they put my face next to hers and they start doing that little stuff there, that becomes innuendo… that’s very destructive to my reputation.”
Brown touted his “long track record of ensuring that women get justice,” as a testimony to his character, and maintained he spent “the last half-century protecting womanhood and promoting manhood.”
Many people on social media responded to Brown’s comments.
Trolls wrote, “No one said his name but him” and asked if “he’s going to sue us all?”
Most of the responses referenced the old saying, “A hit dog hollers.”
“Judge Joe Brown saying he is gonna file a defamation lawsuit on Sheryl Lee Ralph and she never mentioned anyone’s name is the clearest example of “a hit dog will holla” as I have ever seen one,” one person posted.
“Judge joe brown def did that sh-t cause hit dogs holler plus I remember seeing old videos of him drunk af being belligerent,” another tweeted.
Not everyone was against the judge. Some also disagreed with the “hit dog” concept.
“Y’all acting dense like some people have addressed, he’s not a hit dog hollering that man is being accused of something serious with facts or proof from the horse’s mouth. Y’all are the problem and then y’all act dumb and even dumber when proven wrong,” one person wrote.
“What she did was dangerous and damaging to someone’s reputation,” a commenter wrote. “If it was Ed Koch she should have said so. I have lost some respect for her.”
One person suggested a way to identify the mystery judge.
“So, this what we do, we find out when that man was the mayor. Triangulate that with what show she was on during that time and the network and see what judge was also on that network. BOOM. Answer.”
Lee Ralph, who is currently promoting her new book “Diva 2.0,” has not acknowledged Brown’s statements nor has she given any more hints about the man she says assaulted her.
