The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Sheryl Lee Ralph - "Abbott Elementary" & "Sleigh"

Episode Date: December 24, 2022

“I choose to be happy.” Emmy award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph shares her secret to staying motivated in her acting career journey, the reason fans connect to “Abbott Elementary” weekly, and her unexpected decision to make the Christmas album, “Sleigh.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. The one and only. Cheryl, Lee Ralph. Welcome to the Daily Show. Let me start with saying, congratulations, Emmy Award winning. Cheryl Learie. You know, there are many performers in history, many artists, many actors who... You know, there are many performers in history, many artists, many actors, who audiences have said, critics alike, this person never got their flowers, this person never got the recognition that

they deserve. So many people in Black Hollywood never got the flowers that they deserve. Talk me through just a part of this journey. You know, you've done it all. I mean, Moishaha for me and then moving from one to the next, you know, Dreamgirls for so many people back in the day, the original Dream Girl. Talk talked me through the journey and what has kept you being as effervescent as you are. Oh my God, I choose to be happy. I choose to be happy. I choose to joy happy. I choose joy. Yeah, I believe that since I am alive I might as well get up, get out there and enjoy it.

Yes, I'm so happy that God has chosen throughout all of these years to wake me up every morning in my right mind. so that I has chosen throughout all of these years to wake me up every morning in my right mind so that I can carry on in life. I love it. Yes. Yes. That's what keeps me going. That's what keeps me enjoying what I do through all of the ups and downs.

Through all of the missteps and the bad breaks, I choose to carry on. I choose to look in the mirror and love what I see. We love what we see. We genuinely love what we see. Again, I mean, I am a sucker for, I love all comedy. Anything that is funny, I love. You are a master and the way you perform it. Abbott Elementary has done what many people said wasn't possible. People said no one watches

live TV anymore. Nobody likes a sitcom anymore. Don't he likes these family stories. And yet Abbott Elementary has gone and done the exact thing that everyone said was impossible. You know, Quinter Brunson assembled this amazing squad of people to come in and tell real stories that teaches love of themselves, of the students, of the American schooling system. That's right. You know, I know it touches everything, but what do you think it is that brings people back every single week and watching live by the way, sharing it with each other? I think what they're seeing is their own struggles. We're just a group of regular people in the show going through life.

And we just happen to be in a very challenging situation, and every week we are getting over the difficulties, and we are appreciating what we have together, working together on the show, in the show, in the characters, in the scripts, and people see themselves in it, and they love it. They feel it, too. And they tell us. Oh, oh, they do, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, and they they the the the the the the they, and th. the the the the their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, their, their, their, their, their, their their, their th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, tha, tha, tha, te te. te. tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha in the scripts and people see themselves in it and they love it. They feel it too. They feel it and they love it and they tell us. Oh my God. Oh my God. My life now has turned into one big photo session. Anytime I go out into the street everybody wants to take a picture. Everybody wants you to talk to their

people and everybody wants to tell you how much they love you. And I am saying, see, that's why I wake up happy every day. You're also the rare breed of human being who is, you know, talented in every aspect of what you do. You know, some people will see you as an act on screen. Others know you as the phenomenal performer on stage. And now you have an album out, a Christmas album, Slay, which I like the play on words, but talk me through that. Talk me through why the Christmas album and why an album in general. Well, first of all, it was only supposed to be a song.

And before I knew it, we had done 15 songs and we have an album, Call Slay, and people are actually downloading it everywhere and loving it. It's crazy. Yeah. People are... It's not your mother's Christmas album. It is not. We're going to take your mother to church and the club. Yes. I didn't notice that. I didn't notice that. It is, uh, it is one of the, the sexier Christmas albums I've ever heard.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. Thank you. Before I let you go, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about your moment at the Emmys where I always say, you know, at every award show, I feel like they should be an award for the best award acceptance. And yours was that, because sometimes at awards, you know, it can feel like we're that aw that awards, you that awards, you that awards, you that awards, it can't that awards, you that awards, that awards, that awards, that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that th, to to thi, to to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to bea, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I to be to be th. th. thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, thi, I thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. thi. to be too, to be to be to be to be too. toe. too, toe. to not part of what's happening. It felt like we won with you.

It felt like people won, you know, with your win, even just for their lives, it didn't feel like a platitude. It didn't feel like you were just saying it. It felt like you were embodying it. And I'd love to know, in that moment, when you're holding that award, you know, in an industry that everyone thrives to be celebrated or successful in. What made you think of talking to the people and not just talking about yourself? Because I thought in that moment, you know, my dad was a great lifelong learner and educator and I, when they called my name, it was like I could hear my dad saying, there you are, it's your time, come on. But I couldn't, I couldn't, I was so shocked. I was so shocked. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the people the people the people the people the people the people the people the people the people the people the people the people. the people. to to to to the people. the people. to the people. toke the people. the people. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to there you are, it's your time, come on. But I couldn't, I couldn't, I was so shocked, I couldn't get the message from my brain to my feet

to move. And my husband kept saying, get up, get up. And it wasn't until I heard Quinta say, it's your name, get up! And then I got up because Tyler came and literally lifted me up and guided me to the stage, and I got there center stage, and there was my dad again saying, don't you cry. Don't you cry, this is your moment. Let them know who you are and how you got here. And there's a big screen like that in front of me saying, Stop now. Stop now.

And I was like, I haven't even gotten started. Oh, I love it. Yes. I love it so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. on the show. It's right. Thank you so much for everything you do. Thank you so much. Cheryl Lee Ralph, everybody.

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