The Hub’s Entertainment Watch List: Commit or Quit
The honorable Judge Lynn Toler took her knack for advising couples to a new show on WE tv titled, Commit or Quit. Audiences may recognize Judge Toler for hosting the nationally syndicated show, Divorce Court from 2006 to 2020. Love and relationships are often romanticized, but no relationship is perfect or free of flaws.
The institution of marriage has been on the decline over the last few decades and as of 2020, only 30% of African Americans were married when compared to 48% of all Americans.
In Toler’s new show, the “couples in crisis” turned to the judge seeking a solid decision on whether to marry or break up for good. The eight-episode series addressed a variety of issues that can impact a marriage including age gaps, insecurities, infidelities, managing expectations and more.
Judge Toler makes it clear throughout the season that she is not working with the couples to pick sides, rather she is working to foster love. “I’m not on her side, I’m not on your side…I’m on the side of black love,” stated Toler when counseling one of the married couples featured on the show who was on the verge of divorce.
The series kicks off with a “cheated and defeated” couple trying to hold on to the love they share after the relationship has suffered multiple infidelities. Judge Lynn also had her work cut out for her with a dysfunctional newlywed couple dealing with severe communication issues. From the opening episode up until the last episode, it is evident that Judge Toler takes her role and decision-making seriously.
She is able to silence the noise from the couples, their friends and their family to assess the viability of each relationship and determine if Black love is on their side.
Many wonder about the validity of Judge Toler’s rulings, but she is an actual judge. Toler earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1981 and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1984. She served as a judge for the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court for more than 8 years. Toler’s television career began in 2001 as the host of the show, Power of Attorney. Until season two of Commit or Quit airs, fans can see more of Judge Toler as the host of another WE tv series, Marriage Bootcamp.
