Real-Life Love
‘Abbott Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph Explains Why She Doesn’t Live With Her Husband
Sheryl Lee Ralph and her husband, Vincent Hughes, are celebrating 20 years of marriage in July 2025, yet have never lived in the same house before. Yes, that’s right. The two even reside in different states.
With Ralph eager to keep her proximity to Hollywood, and Hughes not wanting to give his position as a senator of Pennsylvania’s seventh senatorial district, they are bound to two opposing coasts.
Yet this nontraditional arrangement has worked in their favor. “You fall in love with somebody, and you realize he’s not leaving his career. He’s not leaving Philadelphia. I’m not leaving Hollywood.” the 69-year-old actor shared with PEOPLE, “When you have children, it’s very difficult.”
Ralph has two adult children, Etienne, 32, and Ivy Coco, 29, who acts as her stylist, from her previous marriage to Eric Maurice.
Four years after her divorce, the Abbott Elementary star met Hughes while she was performing in Thoroughly Modern Millie on Broadway. A romance began. In 2005, the couple tied the knot.
To make their marriage work, they came up with a solution early on about how to tackle the thousands of physical miles in between them. “Every two weeks we saw each other, and it has continued to work out well. When I go to see him, I love to see him. When it’s time to leave, ‘Bye-bye. See you soon.’ I’m telling you, life is good.”
Therefore, even though most of the actual filming for Abbott Elementary takes place in Los Angeles, Ralph still spends a lot of time in Philly. Just like creator Quinta Brunson, she has an actual tie to the beloved city.
The Emmy winner glowed when talking about her husband. She proudly stated, “I’m very fortunate. The man that I am married to is Senator Vincent Hughes, seventh Senatorial district of Pennsylvania.”
Abbott Elementary, Midseason Return, Wednesday, January 8, 8:30/7:30c, ABC
