Sheryl Lee Ralph Says She Had Emmys Speech Prepared Since She Was 5 Years Old
Sheryl Lee Ralph might have been shocked when it came to her Emmy win earlier this month, but the actress had been preparing for the moment since she was a little girl.
While appearing as a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Monday (Sept. 19), the Abbott Elementary star reflected on winning her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy.
"You know what? Like many of you, I have had a speech prepared since I was 5 years old," the 65-year-old shared. "I was ready, you know, ever since Tinker Bell came out of that steeple and was starting to make dreams come true, I've been practicing the speech."
Although Ralph delivered a powerful acceptance speech that also included her singing a verse from “Endangered Species” by jazz singer Dianne Reeves, she did admit things didn’t go exactly how she planned it in her head.
"When they called my name, all of it went out of my head," she said. "I could remember absolutely nothing."
Adding, "And you know, center stage is my home so when I got there, it was like, 'Gather yourself, gather yourself because this is your moment!"
Ralph is the second Black woman to take home an Emmy in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy category after Jackée Harry, won for 227 in 1987.
"To anyone who has ever ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn't, wouldn't, couldn't come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like," Ralph said during her speech. "This is what striving looks like, and don't you ever, ever give up on you."
"Because if you get a Quinta Brunson, if you get a husband like mine in your corner," Ralph added. "If you get children like mine in your corner, and if you've got friends like everybody who voted for me, cheered for me, loved me, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Watch a snippet of Sheryl Lee Ralph on The Jennifer Hudson Show below:
