Sheryl Lee Ralph Gets Her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Sheryl Lee Ralph Gets Her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: “Dreams Don’t Have an Expiration Date”
Sheryl Lee Ralph Gets Her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: “Dreams Don’t Have an Expiration Date”
Come on, somebody give her her flowers! After decades of putting in work and delivering nothing but excellence, Sheryl Lee Ralph — our original Dreamgirl, TV mom, Broadway queen, and all-around icon — has finally received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On Wednesday, April 16, Sheryl was honored with the 2,808th star in the television category, surrounded by family, friends, and some of the biggest names in Black Hollywood.
The moment was nothing short of beautiful — a celebration of grace, resilience, and Black excellence.
From her Emmy-winning role as Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary, to her classic performance as Deena in Broadway’s Dreamgirls, to holding it down as Moesha’s stepmom, Sheryl has never missed a beat. She’s a true multi-hyphenate — actress, singer, activist, and inspiration.
BET host Nischelle Turner emceed the ceremony, with heartfelt words from Abbott creator Quinta Brunson, Sheryl’s longtime friend Loretta Devine, and a loving presence from the one and only Jennifer Lewis, her Abbott castmates, her kids Ivy Coco Maurice and Etienne Maurice, her husband, and a whole squad of her Delta Sigma Theta sorors.
“There’s only one, Sheryl Lee Ralph,” said Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president Steve Nissen. “You’ve joined the pantheon of greatness… Today is officially Sheryl Lee Ralph Day in Hollywood.”
And baby, when Sheryl took the mic? She had the whole crowd in their feelings.
“I can still feel the determined spirit of that little Black girl who dared to dream big,” she said, holding back tears. “I’ve been counted out, passed over, told I was too Black, too strong, too much — and yet, here I stand.”
She paid tribute to the queens who came before her — Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson, Rosalind Cash, Virginia Capers — reminding us that her win is our win. “
This star belongs to every performer who made space for me when there seemed to be none,” she said. “This star is for the work still to come, and for the ones walking in my footsteps, just like I walked in theirs.”
And then she hit us with the words every dreamer needs to hear:
“To anybody who feels like it’s too late — dreams don’t have an expiration date.”
Let that marinate.
After years of breaking barriers and standing tall in her truth, Sheryl Lee Ralph’s light continues to shine — not just on the Walk of Fame, but in the hearts of all of us who’ve been blessed to witness her journey.
