Sheryl Lee Ralph

"Abbott Elementary" star Sheryl Lee Ralph accepted her award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy in a black strapless gown and a high braid ...

Ralph is a longtime show business icon, having been nominated for a Tony for her performance in Dreamgirls on Broadway in 1982 and appearing in a plethora of TV shows and movies including Moesha and Sister Act 2. Her classic black gown set the stage for her hair look: a high, sleek ponytail Ralph also added tiny rhinestones to her lids and the inner corner of her eyes, plus a slightly larger stone in the crease of her glamorous smoky eyes.

Sheryl Lee Ralph accepts Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for "Abbott Elementary" onstage during the 74th Primetime Emmys at Microsoft Theater ...

The Jamaican-American created the Kareeba suit in the early 1970s, a two-piece suit for men intended for special occasions. Her father Stanley was a music teacher in Waterbury, and in the early 1960s wrote a cantata for B.W. Ralph won the award for her role as Barbara Howard in the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary.”

If you hadn't heard about Sheryl Lee Ralph until her incredible portrayal of Barbara Howard in Abbott Elementary, it's not because she was unworthy.

They’re not looking for the Black girls,” Ralph shared. You’re like really DGA — Damn Great Actress — but Hollywood’s not looking for you. [the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series](https://mashable.com/video/sheryl-lee-ralph-emmys-speech-song) — the first Black woman to win in the category for 35 years — Ralph’s win was an ode to her relentless commitment of staying true to herself.

Sheryl Lee Ralph and 'Abbott Elementary' dominated conversation on Twitter during the 2022 Emmys.

Harry’s tweets became some of the most retweeted for the evening, according to Twitter. [donate](https://www.npr.org/2022/02/23/1082506558/abbott-elementary-quinta-brunson) some of its [Emmys](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/emmys/) marketing budget to buy supplies for schoolteachers. See below for some of the top retweets from the 2022 Emmys, according to Twitter. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you.” [Sheryl Lee Ralph](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/sheryl-lee-ralph/) — who [won best supporting actress in a comedy series](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-emmys-2022-history-abbott-elementary-1235216250/) for her work in [Abbott Elementary](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/abbott-elementary/) — was mentioned more than 150,000 times on Twitter, making her the most tweeted-about Emmy nominee for the night. Shortly after her win, Jackée Harry — the first Black woman to win the best supporting actress in a comedy series award in 1987, for the show 227 — shared her praise for Ralph and pointed to the significance of her win. Abbott Elementary also became the top tweeted show, according to Twitter, with several users praising creator Quinta Brunson and the production’s decision to [Subscribe Sign Up](https://cloud.email.hollywoodreporter.com/signup/) [2022 Emmys](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/emmys-2022-winners-list-1235218184/) on Monday evening, Twitter users showered their favorite stars and shows with praise — and one show, and one actress, stood out from the crowd. According to data compiled by Twitter on Monday evening in the U.S., [Share this article on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/&title=Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter&sdk=joey&display=popup&ref=plugin&src=share_button&app_id=352999048212581) [Share this article on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/&text=Emmys%3A%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph%2C%20%E2%80%98Abbott%20Elementary%E2%80%99%20Dominate%20Twitter&via=thr) [Share this article on Email](mailto:?subject=thr%20:%20Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter&body=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/%20-%20Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter) [Show additional share options](#) [Share this article on Print]() [Share this article on Comment](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/#respond) [Share this article on Whatsapp](whatsapp://send?text=Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter%20-%20https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/) [Share this article on Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=1&url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/&title=Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter&summary&source=thr) [Share this article on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/&title=Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter) [Share this article on Pinit](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/&description=Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter) [Share this article on Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/widgets/share/tool/preview?shareSource=legacy&canonicalUrl&url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary-emmys-viral-twitter-1235219753/&posttype=link&title=Emmys:%20Sheryl%20Lee%20Ralph,%20‘Abbott%20Elementary’%20Dominate%20Twitter) Ralph’s moving acceptance speech began with the actress singing a verse from Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species.” Ralph, a first-time Emmy winner, then told the crowd, “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 — this is what striving looks like.