Star Jones doesn’t approve of bringing a third party into a marriage — telling Us that it’s the one recurring issue she sees on Divorce Court.
“This is a new trend. Open marriages do not work. Situationships are bulls***. … There is no such thing as making a third party into your marriage. It never works. It is fun for a minute, and then somebody gets ticked off. Trust Judge Star,” the TV judge exclusively told Us before winning a Daytime Emmy at the award show on Friday, October 30.
Before accepting her statue, Jones, 64, shared a “scoop” with Us, revealing that Divorce Court got picked up for its 29th season. She joined the syndicated series in 2022 and has served as the presiding judge since season 24.
Jones has seen many couples come across her bench and shared that the biggest misconception most people have about marriage is not addressing conflict head-on.
“Don’t get pissed off and go into your own corner and not deal with it,” she said.
Jones practices what she preaches in her own marriage. She has been married to her second husband, administrative law judge Ricardo Lugo, since 2018. Jones is stepmother to Lugo’s 21-year-old son, Jake.
“My husband and I have a rule, and we learned this from his older brother: 24 hours cannot go by being mad at each other. We got to figure it out. We got to kiss, and we gotta move on, and we’ve not broken that rule. This weekend is the 11th anniversary of our first date,” Jones told Us.
Looking back, she revealed what she’s learned about marriage that she wished she knew 20 years ago.
“It’s old-fashioned. The Bible says you need to be equally yoked, and that’s not just religion: Its values, its interests, its emotions, its communication skills, its long-term goals. That’s what equally yoked really means. You need to have the same goals for success, and that’s what’s going to make it work. And then you’ve had the chance to grow both professionally and personally,” she shared.
The former View cohost said she had previously made a list of what she wanted in a man.
“Pretty much every woman I know does the same thing. I had to make a decision. Did I match my list? If you don’t match your list, then you might need to make some changes because you’re never gonna get what you really want until you are that person that deserves it,” she advised.
Over the weekend, Jones earned her first daytime Emmy at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Hollywood, California.
The daytime veteran got emotional after winning the award for Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily alongside the show’s bailiff, Corey Jovan.
“Fourteen times I’ve been nominated and my God!” she said. “I’ve been in the business 35 years, and that’s my Cinderella slipper to be able to be here tonight.”
Jones went on to thank her team and producers before calling her husband and son “the wind beneath my wings.”
While the premiere date for season 29 of Divorce Court has not been announced, previous episodes are available to stream on Hulu and Tubi.
