Thanks to the success of USA’s hit sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” Sheryl Lee Ralph’s career has seen new heights. In September 2022, she won a Primetime Emmy Award in the supporting actress category for her role as Barbara Howard on the mockumentary series, but that does not mean she’s forgotten about darker times.
In a Monday (March 20) interview on Angela Yee’s new show “Way Up with Yee,” the 66-year-old opened up about a past experience with sexual assault. “I’m at a very public place. I was suited. I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time. He and I were on the same network,” Ralph recalled about the traumatic alleged event.
Sheryl Lee Ralph Opens Up About Being Sexually Assaulted By A ‘Famous TV Judge,’ Says She Was Asked By The Network To Not Report The Incident: ‘They Did Not Want Any Bad Press Around Their Show’ 🎥 @wayupwithyee pic.twitter.com/I1L0UaOQ8W
— theJasmineBRAND (@thejasminebrand) March 21, 2023
“This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around and rammed his nasty ass tongue down my throat. And everybody at the network saw it,” Ralph claimed. The “Moesha” star told Yee that those who witnessed the crime asked her to stay silent about it. “Somebody on the network tapped me on the shoulder saying, ‘Please don’t.’ They did not want any bad press around their show and did not care what had just happened to me,” she said, still visibly disturbed about the incident.
During the radio program, Ralph never said who the person was or what network they were with at the time. However, she did assure listeners that it was not Judge Greg Mathis: “I love him. He’s a great man. Not him at all. He’s a great man. This was another one.” While the Connecticut native never revealed the perpetrator, before wrapping up the discussion, she said, “Speak up, tell your truth, do not carry the burden of the pain… especially if you feel like it’s something you can’t work through.”