‘Judge Judy’ Officer Petri Hawkins Byrd Replaced Without Warning After 25 Years

Judge Judy is leaving her bench of 25 years for her new show, Judy Justice on Amazon.
When the trailer for the new show dropped fans noticed her bailiff of 25 years, Petri Hawkins Byrd, was missing.
Byrd said he was not asked to join the new show.
When Judge Judy ended, he turned his focus to his wife, one of the producers of Judge Judy, who was scheduled for brain surgery.

His wife was asked to join the new show but not him. She declined due to her health.
In a statement Judge Judy said, Byrd is terrific and we had a great 25 year run. This is a whole new program with a whole new cast and an exciting energy.
How do you feel about how this went down?