I feel as if I let you all down. I should’ve turned off the national championship game late in the second half and gone over to Nightline which — as I’ve been expecting for a while — Divorce Court got a little more exposure in light of America’s current celebs-cheating-on-spouses fixation. But I didn’t. So, I’ll just have to link to the story itself.
Judge Lynn Toler, who became the show’s host in 2006, is a real judge, but “Divorce Court” is not a real court. Legally, only the state can grant divorces, but couples who have filed for divorce come to argue about the division of property or money and — according to Toler — vent feelings that have gone unacknowledged for too long.
“We talk to people who are upset, and what the divorce system does these days, it doesn’t allow anybody the emotional period on the marriage sentence,” she said. “Here we give people the opportunity to be heard. Then I decide who gets Fluffy the dog.”
In fact, several of the “contestants” have emailed after they read my take on their 22 minutes of fame to share the fact that they’re still together with the person at who’s throat they lunged on daytime TV. That’s neither here nor there, though. Fair game, still.