Sheryl Lee Ralph made the shocking revelation that she was sexually assaulted by a “famous TV judge” at a work event — and claimed network executives who witnessed it years ago asked her not to report the attack because it would be “bad press.”
“This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around and rammed his nasty ass tongue down my throat,” the 66-year-old said on Monday’s “Way Up With Angela Yee” podcast episode. “And everybody at the network saw it.”
The “Abbott Elementary” star did not disclose when it happened or the “famous” TV judge’s name, but confirmed that it was not Judge Greg Mathis, calling him “a great man.”
“I’m at a very public place. I was suited. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time,” the Emmy winner explained without naming the series, but noted, “we were on the same network.”
The Post has reached out to reps for Ralph for comment.
After the alleged sexual assault, Ralph said she called former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, who was in office from 1994 to 2002, to report the incident.
Ralph said Morial came to her defense without hesitation, saying, “You want me to send the police there right now? Cause we will fix his you know what!”
Sheryl Lee Ralph revealed on Angela Yee’s podcast that she was sexually assaulted. YouTube / Way Up With Angela Yee
The “Abbott Elementary” star (right) did not disclose the famous TV judge’s name.YouTube / Way Up With Angela YeeThe “Dreamgirls” star said she was ready to hold the alleged assaulter accountable for his actions until “somebody on the network tapped me on the shoulder saying, ‘Please don’t.’ “
“They did not want any bad press around their show and did not care what just happened to me,” Ralph added.
While retelling the story on “Way Up,” Ralph got visibly emotional about the incident.
“They saw what happened!” she said. ” ‘It’s not that bad is it? Please don’t say anything, we don’t need the bad press, it’s a brand new show. Yours is a new show.’ “
She mentioned one bystander even said, “It wasn’t so bad after all, was it?”
“That’s the kind of stuff that happens,” Ralph continued. “That’s what makes it hard for women to speak up about these things.”
The Broadway star (right) said she was ready to hold the alleged assaulter accountable for his actions until “somebody on the network tapped me on the shoulder saying, ‘Please don’t.’ “YouTube / Way Up With Angela YeeUnfortunately, Ralph said she was also sexually assaulted in a separate incident by a man she “didn’t know,” and admitted that the “horrible” experience made her question her own wardrobe.
“My skirt is at my knees. I have on a sweater blouse,” the “Moesha” star said of the incident. “It’s horrible. It’s like I can think about these things and I’ll tell you, it was like the third time something like this had happened to me, and I thought to myself, ‘What did I do to deserve that?’ 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.”
Ralph said that she eventually had the opportunity to confront her assaulter, who “did not remember any of this.”
“Years later, I was in a situation where that man walked through the door, and he sat down at the table across from me,” Ralph said. “I had to confront him about it. I had to let him know what he did that night.”
Ralph (right) starred in the television series “Moesha” from 1996 to 2001.Getty Images
Ralph recently won an Emmy Award for her role in “Abbott Elementary.”CBS via Getty Images“Do you want to know what was the shocking part?” Ralph said on the podcast. “Everybody around the table was appalled that I would stand up for myself. They told me that I should be ashamed of myself, and why would I even bring that up, and at the dinner table.”
Ralph shared her horrifying experiences on the show in the hopes other actors will stand up for themselves.
“Speak up, tell your truth, do not carry the burden of the pain,” she said, “especially if you feel like it’s something you can’t work through.”
