Sheryl Lee Ralph learns she’s Emmy-nominated while presenting 2024 nominations

“Honey, that never gets old!” That was a dancing Sheryl Lee Ralph‘s live reaction on Wednesday to finding out she just received her third Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category for Abbott Elementary. 

Ralph and fellow Emmy winner Tony Hale were presenting the nominees for the 76th annual event on Wednesday morning when they were joined by Television Academy chair Cris Abrego, who was “excited” to deliver the news of her threepeat.

Ralph pumped her fist and danced joyfully, exclaiming to Abrego, “Honey that never gets old! Never gets old! Thank you!”

Ralph’s previous win in that category, in 2022, led to her bringing the house down with an emotional acceptance speech in which she held up her trophy and belted out the opening lyrics to “Endangered Species” by Dianne Reeves, a five-time Grammy-winning jazz singer.

Backstage, she was asked about what led her to that moment, and she said in part, “I think of myself as an artist, as a woman, especially as a woman of color, I’m an endangered species. But I don’t sing any victim song. I’m a woman. I’m an artist. And I know where my voice belongs.”

She added, “There’s so many young actors, artists, even kids that think they know what they’re going to do in life. Find your voice and put it where it belongs.”

There was more reason to sing on Wednesday: Abbott Elementary snagged nine new nominations, including Sheryl’s, one for the show’s creator, Quinta Brunson, in the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category and one for Outstanding Comedy Series.

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