Barbara Howard Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Jennifer Garner’s first starring role in a TV series, as a butt-kicking spy on 2001’s “Alias,” made her an international star and launched a movie career that includes “13 Going on 30” and “Electra.” And Sheryl Lee Ralph has spent decades building a formidable list of acting credits on TV — from the ’80s soap “Search for Tomorrow” to “Moesha” — but she’s finally getting her due as the motherly teacher Barbara Howard in “Abbott Elementary.” Garner, whose family members count themselves “Abbott” fans, recently returned to the small screen as a stepmother, Hannah, dealing with the disappearance of her husband in Apple TV+’s “The Last Thing He Told Me.” Days after Garner’s birthday, the two discuss their favorite topics: motherhood, generous co-stars and dessert.

Abbott Elementary isn’t going anywhere.

EXCLUSIVE: Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Timothy V. Murphy (Appaloosa) and Bruce Greenwood (The Fall of the House of Usher) have boarded The Fabulous Four, a new comedy from Bleecker Street, which has entered production in Georgia under an Interim Agreement from SAG-AFTRA.

There’s nowhere else to go but up for multi-hyphenate Sheryl Lee Ralph. During Ralph’s 46-year career, she’s been a trailblazing force. Since her debut in Sidney Poitier’s A Piece of the Action or her lauded turn in Dreamgirls on Broadway in 1981, which landed her a Tony nomination, Ralph’s been making a major impression. These days, she’s back to school on ABC’s mockumentary Abbott Elementary. Her role as the wise and wise-cracking teacher Barbara Howard earned Ralph her first Emmy win, making her the second Black woman to win for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She discusses the joy of playing Barbara Howard and their personal connection.

Ready for her school picture! Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson brought her A-game to the 2023 Met Gala.

Who could forget Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Emmy acceptance speech last year, where she sang a rousing celebration of her womanhood and artistry, followed by these words: “To anyone who has ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t, come true, I am here to tell you this is what believing looks like, this is what striving looks like, and don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”

Sweet baby Jesus! Sheryl Lee Ralph has received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Barbara Howard on ABC’s Abbott Elementary — but that wasn’t always the role she wanted to play.  

tweeted Saturday. “As soon as the David character in ‘The Last of Us’ started reading from the Bible I knew that he was going to be a horrific villain.

Selome Hailu Lisa Ann Walter is busy cooking dinner as we talk on the phone. “Hang on one second — I wanna flip my rigatoni into the pot, and I don’t wanna talk over it!” the “Abbott Elementary” actor laughs in the middle of answering a question. “I’m having people over from the cast tomorrow, and some of the crew. Quinta, if she gets back in time from New York, will come over, and I promised her meatballs. Baked pasta, meatballs and sausage.” Titled “The Principal’s Office,” Season 2 Episode 4 of “Abbott Elementary” sees her character, Melissa Schemmenti, invite Janine (series creator Quinta Brunson) over for a cooking lesson. Together, they cook an Italian meal, and Walter is aware of the irony that she’s in an interview about the episode while doing the same. Moments like this have actually caused her to adjust her approach as an actor.

A royal connection. Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph revealed an interesting link to the late Queen Elizabeth II from her past.

(CNN)Jackée Harry was just one of the people who celebrated Sheryl Lee Ralph's first-ever Emmy win on Monday.But the "227" star added a bit of context about Ralph, who won for her role on the comedy series "Abbott Elementary," which made it even more celebratory.Harry tweeted a photo of herself with the Emmy she won in 1987."Winning my Emmy was a career highlight, but it was also a lonely experience," Harry wrote. "For 35 years I've been the only black woman to win Outstanding Supporting Actresses in a Comedy Series.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large When Sheryl Lee Ralph first read Quinta Brunson’s pilot script to “Abbott Elementary,” she knew exactly which character she wanted to play: Ava Coleman, the inappropriate principal who only seems to have her own best interests at heart. But Brunson had another idea. “She was just short of [saying,]  ‘Oh, hell no!’” Ralph says. “She said, ‘We need a queen for Barbara Howard. And you are that queen!’ And I was just like, ‘Baby, if you put it that way, How do I say no? What else do I need to know about that? I’m going to be the queen. I love it. Yes, I’m ready.’” Janelle James wound up being cast as Ava, and landed an Emmy nomination this year for the role. But tapping Ralph to play Barbara, the no-nonsense, seen-it-all veteran teacher in “Abbott Elementary,” also turned out to be the right move. On Monday night, Ralph was rewarded with an Emmy for outstanding actress in a comedy series.  

lying on the ground …If there's one thing Oprah is known for—and, okay, she's known for many things—it's how to give a Gift with a capital G. We all remember the “you get a car” meme. Now, the greatest talk show host of all time is showing her admiration for first-time Emmy award-winner . In a TikTok posted by Ralph's son Etienne Maurice, the star receives a giant bouquet of pink and white flowers from Oprah herself.

she became the second Black actress to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, 35 years after Jackée Harry became the first to do so in 1987. Harry, who won the Emmy for playing Sandra on the NBC comedy series celebrated Ralph's Emmy win with a touching Instagram post where she detailed the  star's monumental moment. «Winning my Emmy was a career highlight, but it was also a lonely experience. For 35 years I’ve been the only black woman to win Outstanding Supporting Actresses in a Comedy Series.

Musical appreciation. After winning her first Emmy, Sheryl Lee Ralph broke into song to celebrate the big moment.

stole the show.Taking home the gold for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, “Abbott Elementary” breakout star Sheryl Lee Ralph, 65, celebrated her first Emmys win with a powerful song of self-praise.“I am an endangered species. I am a woman. I am an artist.

#Emmys history. #AbbottElementary pic.twitter.com/IvNdXQx94oRalph, who won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Emmy for her role as kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on the hit ABC series, then delivered a moving speech that had the audience on its feet.

's Sheryl Lee Ralph is shining bright like a diamond at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, and her energy matches the Swarovski glittering over her hair and face.While walking the red carpet Monday at the annual awards show, Ralph told ET's Kevin Frazier and Nichelle Turner that the night means more to her than being rewarded for her hard work over the last five decades. It's about the actors and industry professionals she's helped mentor in the process.«It’s not as much about me but it’s being able to stand under these lights between the two of you,» the actress stated.

(where Sydney Sweeney ) to (which we're covering all over ), your favorite actors have been jet-setting around the globe. But there's nothing like in Los Angeles, which bring together the best in television for a weekend of celebration and achievement, culminating with the awards ceremony (its 74th!) on . But for the last three years, there hasn't been much celebration given the pandemic.

. Her typical long hair, hoop earrings, and bold prints are a far cry from Howard's cardigans. But when the Emmy-nominated actor sits down to Zoom from her dressing room on set, she is dressed in character, with scissors in hand and a large hat.

Abbott Elementary (which can be streamed with a Hulu subscription) was a critical and ratings hit during its freshman season, leading to six Primetime Emmy nominations. While series creator and star Quinta Brunson hit a major first with her awards nods, this year's awards noms marked a major milestone for Mrs. Howard actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, as this is her first nomination, which is for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy.

ABC’s breakout new comedy series Abbott Elementary is carrying the flag for broadcast television at the 2022 Emmy Awards as the only network show to land a nomination in the Outstanding Comedy or Drama Series categories. While many creators gravitate toward streaming these days, Abbott Elementary creator/executive producer Quinta Brunson is happy to be doing her show for broadcast.

Sheryl Lee Ralph has been a staple of Black Hollywood since her breakthrough role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical The 65-year-old actress scored a Tony nomination for the musical and captured the hearts of millions, which became the norm with her every role over the last five decades.So it's no surprise that her portrayal as the velvety-voiced, no-nonsense, God-fearing Barbara Howard on ABC's mega-hit TV show, , has become a viral sensation. And while there have been a lot of memorable roles throughout Ralph's nearly 50-year career, it all started with .«You know, just like doing  when I was doing , I knew we were doing something very special. I knew in my heart,» she told ET about playing the musical's first-ever Deena and becoming an icon of musical theater.

Sheryl Lee Ralph is addressing the discrimination she’s faced in the entertainment business.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeABC’s breakout comedy hit “Abbott Elementary” will be back for another school year. The Alphabet net confirmed on Monday that the critically acclaimed workplace laffer, from Warner Bros.