“I have a house, and I have a home. I consider America my home. America has been good to me. I think that it’s the greatest country in the world,” Sheindlin said. She added that those dissatisfied with the country should leave rather than seek to remake it: “If you don’t like this country, go somewhere else. Don’t come to the greatest country in the world, the most successful country in the world, and say, ‘I want to change it.’ There are other countries that are the something else that you want. Go there… But don’t come into my home and say, ‘I want to change it.’”
Sheindlin also praised American capitalism, entrepreneurship, and innovation, saying the country “revered excellence” and produced companies like Apple and Amazon. She expressed nostalgia for a mid-20th-century era of greater mutual respect and lamented current polarization, violence, and incivility. The comments came amid CBS’s anniversary special Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable. Sheindlin has since moved on to Judy Justice and plans to step back from on-camera work.
The remarks quickly spread across social media and news outlets, splitting viewers along familiar cultural lines. Supporters hailed her straightforward patriotism and “love it or leave it” stance as a refreshing rejection of constant national self-criticism. Critics, however, called the comments tone-deaf and privileged. Some users argued that America’s history of reform—civil rights, women’s rights, and other expansions of opportunity—is precisely what allowed figures like Sheindlin to succeed, and that telling people to leave dismisses legitimate efforts to address inequality, healthcare, housing, and other problems.
On X and other platforms, detractors described the view as coming from someone insulated by wealth and status. One user wrote that Sheindlin “only thinks it’s the ‘greatest country’ because she’s rich and benefits from society by being rich and pale.” Others said the country improves by confronting its flaws rather than demanding silence or departure, and that criticism is a feature of American democracy, not a bug. A handful of posts revived 2021 reporting from Business Insider in which former employees alleged a toxic workplace on Judge Judy, including claims of racism, sexual harassment, and verbal abuse involving producers; several lawsuits were filed over the years, with mixed outcomes including dismissals and settlements. Sheindlin herself was not found liable in those cases.
The episode illustrates a recurring American debate: whether pride in the nation’s achievements and system requires accepting its current form, or whether patriotism includes the right—and duty—to demand change from within. Sheindlin’s comments, delivered in her familiar no-nonsense style, have become another flashpoint in that argument.
SOURCES:
Judge Judy on her TV special, son Adam Levy show and next chapter
Judge Judy says people who don’t like America should ‘go somewhere else’
Judge Judy tells America’s critics to ‘go somewhere else’ in interview | Fox News
‘Judge Judy’ Plagued by Abuse, Racism, Insiders Say – Business Insider
