Content warning: this text incorporates references to sexual assault and misconduct.
Sheryl Lee Ralph lately opened up about a number of incidents of sexual misconduct that she alleges she skilled years in the past, together with one which concerned a “famous TV judge.” The “Abbott Elementary” star made the allegations throughout a March 20 look on the “Way Up with Angela Yee” podcast whereas selling her new memoir, “Diva 2.0.”
“I’m 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,” Ralph recalled. “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.”
The 66-year-old actor stated she tried to report the incident on the time however somebody from the community she labored for requested her to not. “They did not want any bad press around their show and did not care what had just happened to me,” she alleged.
Ralph didn’t identify the choose allegedly concerned however did affirm it was not Judge Greg Mathis, saying, “I love him. He’s a great man.” In spite of this, Judge Joe Brown, finest recognized for his courtroom sequence, seemingly responded to Ralph’s latest claims and denied his involvement on Twitter. “There’re false rumors being spread that I mistreated a certain lady ≈ 25 yrs ago,” he tweeted on March 24. “I categorically deny both the accusations & acquaintance with the lady. Those rumors started with certain identified parties & spread. They ought ‘Cease & Desist’ or contemplate a Defamation Action.”
Prior to that account, Ralph recalled one other incident of sexual misconduct she skilled, this time with a promoter (She additionally didn’t disclose the identify of the person concerned). “This was like the third time something like this had happened to me,” she shared. “And I thought to myself, ‘What did I do to deserve that?’ My skirt is at my knees. I have on a sweater blouse. ‘What made this man think that he could just come over and put his hands on my body?’ In front of — he didn’t know me.”
“Years later, I was in a situation and that man walked through the door,” she continued. “He sat down at the table across from me. He did not remember any of this but I had to let him know what he did that night.”
Ralph’s attorneys didn’t reply to POPSUGAR’s request for touch upon her latest claims, however she briefly touches on one of many alleged occurrences in her new e book, talking at size in regards to the #MeToo motion as nicely. On “Way Up with Angela Yee,” the actor provided a phrase of recommendation for different ladies in Hollywood who might have had the identical experiences as her, saying, “Nowadays, speak up, tell your truth, do not carry the burden of that pain, and especially if it’s something you feel that you cannot work through.”
If you or somebody you understand want to converse with somebody who’s educated to help sexual assault survivors, please name the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
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