In addition to winning the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Sheryl Lee Ralph may have also won Best Speech of the Night.
Earning the award for her portrayal of Barbara Howard in ABC’s hit comedy “Abbott Elementary”, Sheryl Lee Ralph broke into song when she took the stage.
Belting Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species”, it was clear how much the words meant to her: “ I am an endangered species / but I sing no victim’s song / I am a woman, I am an artist /and I know where my voice belongs.”
The song was met with resounding applause and cheering.
She goes on to thank “Abbott Elementary’s” creator and starring actress Quinta Brunson, her husband, her children, and her friends for “being in her corner”.
“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,” she said. “This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”
Sheryl’s win makes her the first Black woman to win Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 35 years, since Jackee Harry won for “227” in 1987. This award solidifies that Sherly’s voice is exactly where it belongs.
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