Petri Hawkins-Byrd, one of the greatest TV sidekicks of all time, served as Judy Sheindlin‘s bailiff since Judge Judy‘s premiere in 1996. He has revealed he was not even asked to join her new series Judy Justice.

Via EW, Byrd said:

It wasn’t until July that I called the judge and asked, ‘Hey, should I look for something else or am I included in the Judy Justice project?’ She informed me I was not being asked to come along on the project. I didn’t inquire as to why, that’s her choice. But she did inform me that fundamentally, I was priced out as the new bailiff on her new show. My salary would have been too much. I was curious: How would she know? She didn’t ask me. She didn’t give me an opportunity to have accepted a lower salary.

Byrd reflected on his 25 years with the Judge Judy series.

Judge Judy’s new bailiff, Kevin Rasco, can be seen in this clip from the new show:

Thanks for the 25 years of service, Bailiff Byrd! The new series premieres November 1.

Image: Martin Sloan / Avalon