'Abbott Elementary' Star Sheryl Lee Ralph Is Married to a Senator

More than 40 years after Sheryl Lee Ralph made her big screen debut alongside Sidney Poitier in A Piece of the Action, our good sis is finally getting her flowers. Although Sheryl has been a big deal for decades now, the 66-year-old actress stepped back into the spotlight after she snagged a lead role in the critically acclaimed ABC series Abbott Elementary.

After taking home the win for Best Supporting Actress at the Critics Choice Awards and Outstanding Supporting Actress at the Emmys, on Sunday, Feb. 26, Sheryl and the cast of Abbott Elementary won big at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Now, everybody’s dying to know more about the beloved actress behind Barbara Howard.

Read for more on Sheryl's husband and kids!

Sheryl was married to her ex-husband, Eric Maurice, for 11 years before they divorced in 2001. It wasn’t until 2005 that she married her current husband, Sen. Vincent Hughes.

Born in Philadelphia, Vincent studied at Temple University. The politician secured a spot as a member of the Pennslyvania State Senate in 1994. Before that, he served as a member of Pennslyvania’s House of Representatives for nearly a decade.

Sheryl and Vincent first met by way of a mutual friend in the early 2000s. They later married in an intimate service surrounded by their closest friends and family members at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.

In a 2020 interview with ESSENCE, Vincent described Sheryl as a “blessing”.

“Life could have been very, very different for both of us. God led us to each other right at the absolute perfect time,” the Democratic senator told the outlet. “This relationship and this love is a blessing, and I try to treat it that way.”

Much like Sheryl, Vincent had also been married once before. When they tied the knot, both Sheryl and Vincent had kids from past relationships.

“When it comes to blending your family, you have to figure out who you are in the relationship,” she said of her union with Vincent. “I’m not trying to be his children’s mother, because they already have a mother, and they love her. Just like Vincent is not trying to be my children’s father.”

So, how many kids does Sheryl have?

Before Sheryl and her first husband split, they welcomed two kids — Ivy-Victoria Maurice, 28, and Etienne Maurice, 31. Etienne got a bachelor's in science before he went on to pursue a film director and actor, later appearing in shows like Scream Queens and Grown-ish.

Ivy, on the other hand, recently took on a job as her mom’s stylist. According to Sheryl, her daughter is behind every look she wore during the 2023 award season.

"And she's been winning — I've been on every best dressed list, including The New York Times, and I thank my child,” Sheryl told E! News (per PEOPLE). “Every birthing pain was worth it!"