Joe Brown is a former Shelby County, Tennessee, Criminal Court judge who transitioned into television as the presiding figure on the reality-based arbitration court series, Judge Joe Brown. He graduated from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles and has been active in numerous national and international legal organizations committed to the practice and promotion of justice.
Judge Joe Brown premiered in first-run syndication on September 14, 1998, and aired for fifteen seasons until the end of the 2012–2013 television season. The courtroom show featured binding arbitration and maintained the appearance of a civil legal environment. Syndicated in the U.S. and aired on networks including CTV in Canada and Fox8 in Australia, the show was typically broadcast during daytime hours and began airing in high-definition in its final season starting September 10, 2012.
Brown holds the distinction of being the first African American male to preside over a courtroom television show and the first African American to host a long-running court program. It should be noted that former New York prosecutor Star Jones was the first African American person to preside over any television court series with Jones & Jury (1994–1995).
At the height of its popularity, Judge Joe Brown was the second highest-rated court program behind Judge Judy. During its run, it was the highest-rated male-arbitrated court series, consistently outperforming titles like The People's Court but remaining notably below Judge Judy in viewership. Joseph Brown was also the second longest-serving television jurist at the time, trailing only Judith Sheindlin of Judge Judy.
The show was produced by Big Ticket Television and distributed by CBS Television Distribution (CTD), which evolved from its predecessor companies, including Worldvision Enterprises, Paramount Domestic Television, and CBS Paramount Domestic Television. The set of Judge Joe Brown was located beside Judge Judy at Sunset Bronson Studios. After Judge Joe Brown was canceled in 2013, the studio space was temporarily used by Paternity Court (2013–2014) and later by Hot Bench (2014–present).
Ratings for the show began to experience a decline in its final years. According to Nielsen Media Research, by the February 2013 sweeps, the show had dropped 20% from the previous year, falling from a 3.0 to a 2.4 rating. Brown reportedly declined to continue the show under revised contractual terms. On March 26, 2013, CTD announced it would cancel the series and halt distribution following summer 2013 reruns. The final recordings were completed on March 14, 2013. Reports suggested that Fox station owners showed no interest in broadcasting a replacement series with a different judge.
| Net Worth 2021: | 10 million |
