Sheryl Lee Ralph's 2022 Emmys acceptance speech is going to be a tough one to follow.
The Abbott Elementary star was shocked to hear Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers announce that she is the winner of the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. After composing herself, the actress walked up the steps of the Microsoft Theater stage in Los Angeles, Calif.—and then broke out into song.
"I am an endangered species, but I sing no victim's song," the actress sang Sept. 12. "I am a woman, I am an artist. And I know where my voice belongs."
The audience gave the first-time nominee, who plays Barbara Howard in the ABC series, a much-deserved standing ovation, before Sheryl delivered yet another awe-inspiring moment. "To anyone who has ever, ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn't, wouldn't, couldn't come true," the Emmy winner said, "I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like this. This is what striving looks like."
Sheryl continued, "Don't you ever, ever give up on you, because if you get a Quinta Brunson in your corner, if you get a husband like mine in your corner, if you get children like mine in your corner, and if you've got friends like everybody who voted for me, cheered for me, loved me—thank you!"
According to multiple reports, Sheryl is only the second Black woman to win Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy series in Emmys history. The first was Sister, Sister Jackée Harry, who won for her role as Sandra Clark in 227.
On the red carpet, Sheryl spoke to Live From E!'s Laverne Cox, saying that she's proud to be representing the Black community at the ceremony. "Black is anything but basic," she said. "It is classic. It is chic. It is timeless. It is evergreen. It is far from basic. It is Black!"
And it doesn't hurt to feel loved either. The actress said she was overwhelmed by the love and support on the red carpet, adding, "I appreciate all the good vibes that have been sent my way and I feel the angels just lifting me up."
Abbott Elementary
Barry
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
WINNER: Ted Lasso
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Only Murders in the Building
What We Do in the Shadows
Better Call Saul
Euphoria
Ozark
Severance
Squid Game
Stranger Things
WINNER: Succession
Yellowjackets
Dopesick
Inventing Anna
Pam & Tommy
The Dropout
WINNER: The White Lotus
WINNER: Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls
Nailed It!
RuPaul's Drag Race
Top Chef
The Amazing Race
The Voice
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
WINNER: Zendaya, Euphoria
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Brian Cox, Succession
WINNER: Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Bob Odenkirk Better Call Saul
Adam Scott, Severance
Jeremy Strong, Succession
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning, The Great
Issa Rae, Insecure
WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
Nicholas Hoult, The Great
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
WINNER: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Toni Collette, The Staircase
Julia Garner, Inventing Anna
Lily James, Pam & Tommy
Sarah Paulson, Impeachment: American Crime Story
Margaret Qualley, MAID
WINNER: Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout
Colin Firth, The Staircase
Andrew Garfield, Under the Banner of Heaven
Oscar Isaac, Scenes From a Marriage
WINNER: Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Himesh Patel, Station Eleven
Sebastian Stan, Pam & Tommy
Patricia Arquette, Severance
WINNER: Julia Garner, Ozark
Jung Ho-yeon, Squid Game
Christina Ricci, Yellowjackets
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
J. Smith-Cameron, Succession
Sarah Snook, Succession
Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Park Hae-soo, Squid Game
WINNER: Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
John Turturro, Severance
Christopher Walken, Severance
Oh Yeong-su, Squid Game
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Sarah Niles, Ted Lasso
WINNER: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
WINNER: Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Toheeb Jimoh, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler, Barry
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Jane Adams, Hacks
Harriet Sansom, Hacks
Jane Lynch, Only Murders in the Building
WINNER: Laurie Metcalf, Hacks
Kaitlin Olson, Hacks
Harriet Walter, Ted Lasso
Jerrod Carmichael, Saturday Night Live
Bill Hader, Curb Your Enthusiasm
James Lance, Ted Lasso
WINNER: Nathan Lane, Only Murders in the Building
Christopher McDonald, Hacks
Sam Richardson, Ted Lasso
Hope Davis, Succession
Marcia Gay Harden, The Morning Show
Martha Kelly, Euphoria
Sanaa Lathan, Succession
Harriet Walter, Succession
WINNER: Lee You-mi, Squid Game
Adrien Brody, Succession
James Cromwell, Succession
WINNER: Colman Domingo, Euphoria
Arian Moayed, Succession
Tom Pelphrey, Ozark
Alexander Skarsgård, Succession
Connie Britton, The White Lotus
WINNER: Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Alexandra Daddario, The White Lotus
Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick
Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
Sydney Sweeney, The White Lotus
Mare Winningham, Dopesick
WINNER: Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus
Jake Lacy, The White Lotus
Will Poulter, Dopesick
Seth Rogen, Pam & Tommy
Peter Sarsgaard, Dopesick
Michael Stuhlbarg, Dopesick
Steve Zahn, The White Lotus
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Ray Donovan: The Movie
Reno 911!: The Hunt For QAnon
The Survivor
Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas
Below Deck Mediterranean
Cheer
WINNER: Love On The Spectrum U.S.
RuPaul's Drag Race Untucked
Selling Sunset
Antiques Roadshow
Fixer Upper: Welcome Home
Love Is Blind
WINNER: Queer Eye
Shark Tank
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)