Judge Greg Mathis on Taking Viewers Home in ‘Mathis Family Matters’

On his long-running courtroom series, Judge Greg Mathis rules from behind the bench with a no-nonsense attitude and a dash of razor-sharp wit. When litigants get out of hand, he can bang his gavel and assert his authority. But on Mathis Family Matters, which offers an unvarnished glimpse at the judge’s home life, viewers discover that when the robe comes off, there’s no order in this court.

“I’m just totally ignored, man,” Mathis says with a laugh about his family, including his four adult children, Jade, Amir, Greg Jr., and Camara, and wife Linda. “They think I want to run everybody’s life, so they just blow me off. I tell ’em to ‘All rise,’ and they look at me like I’m crazy!”

(Credit: Tommy Garcia/E! Entertainment)

The sassy Linda works hard to keep the peace. Firstborn child Jade, whom Mathis calls the “diva,” seeks to balance her law career with her dream of becoming a motivational speaker. Fellow legal eagle Camara, the second oldest, was dubbed “Mother Mathis” years before her marriage and two kids because of her bossy ways.

Son Greg Jr., a former congressional policy adviser, is ready to move his relationship with boyfriend Elliott to the next level but struggles with coming out as gay to the wider world. And youngest Amir, who spearheaded the idea for the series, has a new girlfriend before the ink is even dry on his divorce.

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Despite his family’s irritation with the judge’s unsolicited input, they know it comes from his experience in the school of hard knocks. Raised in inner-city Detroit by a single mother, Mathis triumphed over poverty, drugs, and gang life to become a Michigan judge and a television star. “Each one of us has problems and obstacles that we have to overcome,” he notes. “If you watch me, certainly you know I need a lot of help!”

Mathis Family Matters, Series Premiere, Sunday, June 19, 9:30/8:30c, E!