Emmys 2022: Sheryl Lee Ralph sings during acceptance speech

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We expected some huge moments during the 2022 Emmys, but then Sheryl Lee Ralph knocked it clear out of the park.

Tonight, the Abbott Elementary actress won for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and we of course expected a great speech. However, what we did not expect what the million-dollar performance we got, coupled with an inspiring message. This may be the most iconic speech of the whole night, and it was still during the first hour of the show. You could see her take in the win, process it, and then start belting out some of those notes. For those wondering, the song she performed was “Endangered Species” by Dianne Reeves. It’s something that meant so much to her; heck, it meant so much to a lot of the people in attendance on the show. The reaction showed the love that was there for Ralph, and the support she could even have should she get nominated again.

It’s almost hard to describe what Sheryl brought to the stage tonight, but it was the culmination of years’ worth of hard work and determination. She was an icon even more doing Abbott Elementary, so this was just the metaphorical cherry on top of the cake.

When it comes to Abbott Elementary as a whole, we certainly saw this as a precursor to some more wins down the road. This is one of those shows that really got audiences and critics on the same page, and it has a legitimate shot of overtaking shows like Ted Lasso and Only Murders in the Building a little later in the night — which, for the record, is not an easy thing to do given their respective popularity.

You can watch a video of Ralph’s speech below.

Related Be sure to get some more news when it comes to the Emmys right now

What do you think about Sheryl Lee Ralph and her Emmys acceptance speech tonight?

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