Hawkins-Byrd is best known for his sidekick role as Bailiff Byrd for the entire series run–totaling 25 seasons–of Nielsen top-rated courtroom television program Judge Judy.
[6] It was announced in April 2022 that Hawkins-Byrd will return to the court show genre, resuming his televised bailiff duties in the upcoming panel-based spin-off courtroom series, Tribunal Justice.
Taking to comedy and impressions from an early age, Hawkins-Byrd's father thought he was so entertaining and amusing as a child that he and his friends frequently called him up from prison just so they could hear him imitate celebrities.
Growing up, he admired and imitated such celebrities as Flip Wilson, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Ed Sullivan, Bill Cosby and others.
[9] Recounting the times he was assigned to function as Sheindlin's bailiff in the Manhattan family court system, he commented, "I was never bored in her courtroom.
[2][9] In 1992, he made another career transition, becoming a student counselor at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, remaining in this profession until 1996.
[8] In 1995, Hawkins-Byrd read a news article in a Liz Smith column about Sheindlin's new book, Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining, as well as her then upcoming television court show project to be filmed in Los Angeles.
[15] On numerous occasions over the course of the show's 25-year run, Byrd played a key role in the proceedings: he was frequently sought by Sheindlin to look up vehicle estimates from the Kelley Blue Book so that she could award the accurate judgment amount.
[16] He was also tasked with controlling emotions that ran high among the parties and preventing potential altercations between the show's guests, typically by standing in-between them and the litigant podiums during the proceedings.
[12] He also routinely delivered evidence to Sheindlin while having his head and eye contact directed away from her off to his sides, a trait observed publicly by Amy Poehler.
On the rare occasion, Sheindlin requested litigants to approach the bench, for example, to present evidence of bodily injuries or document clarifications.
[citation needed] Hawkins-Byrd has participated in several movies and TV shows, including Tom Hennessy, Soul Lake (a 2015 independent horror film), Under The Palm Tree, American Skin, Sheen Talk, Inspirit, and Reesie's Pieces.
By the same token, his other projects include Curb Your Enthusiasm (through the show visiting the Judge Judy program), A Deeper Love, Playing Mona Lisa, In the Eyes of a Killer, Saviour of None.
[citation needed] He also played a judge role in the independent film End of the Law, which was shot in Sacramento, California and premiered at the Crest Theatre on October 3, 2003.
[8] In August 2018, Hawkins-Byrd appeared in an episode of medical advice talk show The Doctors, as a guest in the program to address concerns with his health as it relates to a spike in his glycated hemoglobin levels.
The show, Tribunal Justice, premiered in 2023 and is presided over by former Hot Bench judges Tanya Acker and Patricia DiMango, along with Sheindlin's son, former district attorney Adam Levy.
[30] In 2024, Hawkins-Byrd appeared in an acting role as American basketball executive Alvin Gentry in the FX on Hulu television sports drama miniseries Clipped.
In December 2020, during 25th season production of Judge Judy, Hawkins-Byrd noted publicly that he would be "honored" if invited back for the spin-off series in an interview with the Associated Press.
[33][34][35] Addressing fan complaints over his absence in an October 8, 2021, interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hawkins-Byrd stated that he was not asked to participate in Judy Justice.
"[38] In following appearances on The Real, Entertainment Tonight Canada and The Black News Channel, Hawkins-Byrd quipped that Sheindlin's treatment of him was akin to Batman abandoning Robin.
[25][41][27] On April 28, 2022, it was announced that Hawkins-Byrd would be holding the role of bailiff for another court show produced and created by Sheindlin's team, also to be streamed on Amazon Freevee, entitled Tribunal Justice.
Tribunal Justice is presided over by now former Hot Bench judges, Tanya Acker and Patricia DiMango, along with Sheindlin's son, former district attorney Adam Levy with Byrd as the bailiff.
[28] In early November 2021, Hawkins-Byrd additionally shared that he felt snubbed when he was not allowed to present Sheindlin's Lifetime Achievement Award to her at the Daytime Emmy ceremony.
Questioned about the matter, Sheindlin shared that it was Amy Poehler who called up the Television Academy and requested to present her with the award because she was a big fan.
[2] Hawkins-Byrd also operates a nonprofit mentoring program, entitled "Teach Them to Fish", focusing on physical, mental, social and spiritual growth.
In the interview, Toler provided details on her various dissatisfactions leading to her resignation from Divorce Court and her current hosting role on Marriage Boot Camp.
He has shared that their production company is geared towards launching broadcast entertainment projects for streaming as well as developing and presenting stage plays.
Prior to Bond becoming a producer for the court show, the two first met on the Sunset Bronson Studios lot (where the Judge Judy program was filmed for its entire run) back in 2012.
For much of the 25th and final season of Judge Judy, Hawkins-Byrd's personal life revolved around attending to Bond as she had suffered a cancerous brain tumor in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.