Sheryl Lee Ralph alleges she was assaulted by a “famous TV judge”
An alleged attack took place years ago, and Sheryl Lee Ralph says she was hushed up even though "everybody at the network saw it."
Aux News Sheryl Lee Ralph
Another harrowing story of assault and corporate cover-up has emerged from a woman in Hollywood. Sheryl Lee Ralph—the beloved, Emmy-award winning star of Abbott Elementary—recently came forward with allegations that she was assaulted years ago by a “famous TV judge” who she has not named. She has also alleged that “everybody at the network saw it,” but she was told to stay quiet to prevent “bad press.”
On an episode of the podcast Way Up With Angela Yee that came out this week (via Variety), Ralph emotionally recounted the assault, which she says occurred “at a very public place.”
“I was suited. I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time. He and I were on the same network,” she said of the unnamed judge (who she did make sure to note was not Judge Greg Mathis, who she called “a great man”).
She continued: “This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around, and rammed his nasty ass tongue down my throat… And everybody at the network saw it.”
While Ralph did not explicitly state what network she and the judge were a part of at the time, she did go on to detail a call she made to former mayor of New Orleans Marc Morial, who Variety notes served from 1994-2002. In that timeframe, Ralph was starring in the sitcom Moesha, which aired on the now-defunct network UPN.
Ralph says that Morial immediately jumped to her aid when she called to report the incident from the event, asking, “You want me to send the police there right now? ‘Cause we will fix his you know what right now.”
The network, however, asked her to remain silent about the attack. “Somebody at the network tapped me on the shoulder, and they said ‘Please don’t,’” she alleged.
“Do you know that they did not want any bad press around their show, and did not care what had just happened to me,” she continued. “That’s the kind of stuff that happens. That’s what happens. That’s what makes it hard for women to speak up about these things.”
If you or someone you know is suffering from sexual abuse, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
30 Comments
Damn it, Judge Judy!
Judge Wapner was always handsy!
It can’t be that hard to identify exactly who the “famous TV judge” is.There aren’t that many, and a lot of them are women.
please dont assume the man’s gender
There were a ton during that time, across multiple networks.
I mean… the only other guy I can think of from around that time is Judge Joe Brown?
CBS/Paramount produced both Judge Joe Brown and Judge Mills Lane during that timeframe.
I don’t even remember Judge Mills Lane, though to be fair a boy in his early teens is hardly the target demographic for these shows.
“Judge” Mills Lane was better known as a prominent boxing referee, mostly active during the Mike Tyson era. My money’s on Judge Joe Brown as the offending party.
I remember him! I now have a perfect memory of this old bald white dude in a foot locker outfit.
It’s Joe Brown for sure. And Mills Lane was one of the best, if not the best, boxing refs of all time. Dude was totally legit in the ring.
Also, Celebrity Deathmatch.
He was also known for the ref on Celebrity Death Match. “Let’s Get It On!”
One of the Next Top Model judges?
Judge Judy’s husband, Jerry Sheindlin, hosted the rebooted People’s Court from 1999-2001 (taking over from Ed Koch)
And Mills Lane had his own court show from 1998-2001. And James Curtis had Curtis Court from 2000-2001. And Larry Joe Doherty had Texas Justice from 2001-2005. There were a lot of court shows in the aughts, is the point.
$10 says it was Judge Judy.
the beloved, Emmy-award winning star of Abbott ElementaryBeloved?Are you her publicist or something? I like her as much as the next person, but get a grip.
Hold up. She had enough juice to get the mayor on the phone, and get him to offer to fix the problem, and she let “someone” talk her out of it? Damn.
Why take time out of your day to victim blame? Just why?
SarcIt was obviously all her fault from the beginning. She’s the one that thought that it was acceptable to be a woman in television. And she even thought that it was acceptable to want a career to last in television.So obviously, this was all her fault./Sarc
“Having enough juice to call the mayor” doesn’t compare to what happens to a woman when she blows the whistle on someone important to the network. She had a career to think about.It’s disgusting but not surprising.
The ‘same network’ part should make this one fairly easy to id.
Judge Joe Brown is the culprit.
That’s why you never trust a close talker!
definitely messed up.The guy that most people are concluding probably did it. What the heck is he even “known for” now? Does he have any kind of show on the air? Mostly I just encounter these random outbursts in the ‘ankh-right, ADOS zone’ that assorted folks like to post on social media.
Judge Judy DID mysteriously retire at the height of her success…just sayin
Could they possibly mean a judge for a music or variety show like American Idol? There’s a lot of those running around.