Sheryl Lee Ralph shut down speculation that she only just moved in with her husband, Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes, after 18 years of marriage.
“It’s not true at all,” the Abbott Elementary star, 66, told E! News in an interview published on Wednesday, December 6. “If you’re going to write things, just try to get it close to right. We’ve been married 18 years and together 21 years.”
Ralph and Hughes, 67, tied the knot in 2005, nearly four years after her divorce from Eric Maurice. The actress and Maurice share son Etienne and daughter Ivy.
“[Vincent and I] live together on and off, in that I’m shooting Abbott Elementary in L.A. [and] he is at the Capitol every week,” Ralph added to E! News. “So, we see each other in between [our busy schedules].”
Paying her dues. When Sheryl Lee Ralph won her first Primetime Emmy Award in September 2022, the Abbott Elementary star was overcome with emotion after spending more than 40 years working in Hollywood. As she took the stage to accept her trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, the Connecticut native belted out […]
She also quipped that Hughes is very much “[her] man” and that she’s happily “booed up” during “cuffing season.” (Cuffing season is a modern slang term, often referring to individuals starting romantic relationships during the winter months to stay cozy amid the cold weather.)
Speculation about Ralph’s marriage raised eyebrows earlier this month when she told Extra that the couple don’t live under the same roof. “I see him every two weeks and when I see him I’m so happy to see him and then when I’m leaving I’m so happy to leave ‘cause I know I’ll be back again!” she said at the time, noting their arrangement works for their relationship.
Ralph plays kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, which recently resumed production following the SAG-AFTRA and WGA labor strikes. Despite Abbott being set in Philadelphia, the show is filmed in Los Angeles. (Hughes retains Pennsylvania residency due to his political career.)
Despite their busy schedules, celebrities still try to make their relationships work despite the distance. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry met on Instagram in July 2016 and their relationship turned long-distance when Markle flew back to Toronto while Harry stayed in London. “We had to get to know each other before the rest of the […]
“When I first read the script, I wanted to play [the principal], Ava,” Ralph exclusively told Us Weekly in April of joining Quinta Brunson’s comedy, referring to the role now made famous by costar Janelle James.“And Quinta was just, like, ‘Absolutely not! We need a queen for Barbara and that is you.’ So I was like, ‘Well, alrighty then. Thank you.’”
The Emmy winner added: “I think it’s really the fact that Barbara is committed to human beings. Her love of her job, the love of the students that are entrusted in her care, every year. [She is] the kind of person that would agree to disagree, but trust me, in the end you’re going to agree with her. I just love that about her. She’s a wonderful human being.”
Abbott Elementary season 3 returns on February 7, 2024.