Television's enjoyed its biggest night yesterday as the 74th annual Emmy Awards got under way at Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater, and one moment from the ceremony will be memorable for years to come.
After a career that has spanned five decades, screen and state veteran Sheryl Lee Ralph won her first Emmy for her performance as kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard in the hit ABC comedy Abbott Elementary, a moment that had nearly everyone in the theater leaping to their feet to cheer.
Ralph's win was not just momentous but historic, as she is only the second Black woman to win the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy award in Emmys history after Jackée Harry's 1987 win for 227.
To mark the occasion, Harry took to Twitter to honor her colleague and put her big win in context, and it's got everyone cheering for Ralph all over again.
See her tribute below.
\u201cWinning my Emmy was a career highlight, but it was also a lonely experience.\n\nFor 35 years I\u2019ve been the only black woman to win Outstanding Supporting Actresses in a Comedy Series.\n\nBut that all changes tonight\u2026 and it\u2019s come full circle! #Emmys\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
Harry wrote:
"Winning my Emmy was a career highlight, but it was also a lonely experience."
"For 35 years I’ve been the only black woman to win Outstanding Supporting Actresses in a Comedy Series."
"But that all changes tonight… and it’s come full circle! #Emmys"
Harry went on to tell of how she narrowly landed her role as the oversexed Sandra on 227 after it very nearly went to the network's pick: Sheryl Lee Ralph.
\u201cThe network originally wanted @thesherylralph to play Sandra on 227, but I got the part and won an Emmy for it.\n\nNow, Sheryl joins me as the 2nd black woman in this category and deservedly so! \ud83c\udf89 I\u2019m so exited for her #Emmys win!\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
Harry then told of going on to win the Emmy for the role, and expressed her joy at now being able to share the honor with Ralph. She wrote:
"Now, Sheryl joins me as the 2nd black woman in this category and deservedly so! 🎉 I’m so exited for her #Emmys win!"
Harry closed her thread with a moving tribute to Ralph's legendary status in the entertainment industry.
\u201c.@thesherylralph\u2019s had a remarkable career AND she\u2019s one of the nicest people in Hollywood. Barbara Howard on #AbbottElementary is another fabulous character we\u2019ve been fortunate to watch her breathe life into. \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffe\n\nCongrats, Sheryl & welcome to the club! #Emmys \ud83c\udfc6 #BlackGirlsRock\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
On Twitter, people were deeply moved by Harry's thread, and shocked to learn the historic nature of Ralph's win.
\u201c@PhillipGBurke @JackeeHarry I'm ECSTATIC for Sheryl Lee Ralph,\nI\u2764her & she DESERVES ALLL the #Emmys \ud83e\udd70\nBut, my jaw is on the floor at 35YEARS\ud83e\udd2f! There have been/are WAAAY too many HILARIOUS black women actresses who have been equally deserving of an Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy.\nFR 35 YEARS!\ud83d\ude2b\ud83e\udd2c\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
\u201c@JackeeHarry Just beautiful.\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
\u201c@JackeeHarry I can\u2019t believe there\u2019s only been 2 black women in 35 years to win this award.\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
\u201c@JackeeHarry This was an amazing post and it shows that you are just as beautiful on the inside if not more and how much gratitude you possess\ud83d\ude0d and congratulations to Ms. Ralph for breaking your record by earning her outstanding actress Emmy and to you for holding a record for 35 years.\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
\u201c@JackeeHarry Beautifully stated! \ud83e\udd70Loveeeeee seeing our queens place the crown on one another's head!\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
\u201c@JackeeHarry \u2018It was a lonely experience\u2019\u2026UNTIL TODAY!!! \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffe Thanks for leading the way and huge congrats to my Soror @thesherylralph on her well deserved win. \ud83c\udfc6 \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udd3a\n#representationmatters #inclusion\u201d— Jack\u00e9e Harry (@Jack\u00e9e Harry) 1663029939
And there has been an outpouring of love for Ralph herself, especially after her incredibly moving barnstormer of an acceptance speech last night.
\u201cSheryl Lee Ralph\u2019s acceptance song/speech healed me, cured my depression, erased all past traumas, replenished my electrolytes, etc etc etc\u201d— Tom Zohar (@Tom Zohar) 1663030750
\u201cthere\u2019s so much magic in sheryl lee ralph\u2019s win coming off a show created by quinta brunson. \n\na powerful testament to the way in which Black women build & empower one another. my heart is so full.\u201d— Naj (@Naj) 1663031263
\u201cEMMY AWARD WINNING ICONIC LEGEND, Sheryl Lee Ralph \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffe\u201d— i don\u2019t think of her \u2728 (@i don\u2019t think of her \u2728) 1663030159
\u201cthe television academy saw this (IMPROVISED) delivery and knew they have to give sheryl lee ralph the emmy\u201d— izzy (@izzy) 1663029949
Ralph rose to prominence in 1981 when she originated the role of Deena Jones in Dreamgirls on Broadway alongside fellow legends Jennifer Holliday and Loretta Devine.
Not only was last night's win her first, it was also her first-ever Emmy nomination after a television career that began in the 1970s, a "long time coming" pedigree she referenced in her speech:
“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."
"This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”
Solid advice from a legend who knows.
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