The 'Abbott Elementary' star and her senator husband opened up to ET about their marriage at the 2023 Emmys.
Sheryl Lee Ralph and her husband, Vincent Hughes, would like people to understand that they're doing just fine in their bi-coastal marriage.
The Abbott Elementary star and the Pennsylvania senator -- who have been married since 2005 -- have been quite candid about making their marriage work on two opposite coasts, and they reiterate that sentiment while chatting with ET's Nischelle Turner on the 75th annual Emmy Awards red carpet.
"We've been commuting ever since the beginning, and it's worked out for us," Hughes says after confessing that he doesn't understand why the news of their arrangement causes so much confusion. "And so it's cool."
Ralph, 67, previously explained to ET that she splits her time between Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, and lives apart from her husband, 67, while working on her hit ABC series. The pair, who were each married prior, blended their families with two children each.
"Vincent and I have been married going on 19 years. We've been together 21 years. Abbott [Elementary] is shot in Los Angeles. My husband, as a senator, is always in his Capitol, so I don't know what magic people think we're gonna do," she pointedly stated.
"We see each other on the average of every two weeks," she added. "And everybody who questions that I say, guess what? We're still married!"
Still married and clearly still in love. When asked about his wife's mainstream success as Mrs. Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary, Hughes tells ET that seeing her be appreciated by her peers during this chapter of her life "does everything for my heart."
"It's an important issue that she's speaking about now, teaching and education, which other folks want to abandon. That, we must rush towards," he added.
And speaking of spreading the importance of education, the Emmy-winning actress is more than ready for Abbott Elementary to make its return in February following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike. The series earned six nominations for this year's Emmys.
Teasing the upcoming season, Ralph says the show's third installment will see characters "be open for you to really see who they are. How do we address the things about the real person? What happens in that moment?"
"And this isn't exactly it, but when you see your teacher in the grocery store, and you're like, 'What are you doing?' You get to see the teachers like that," she adds.
When it comes to what she'd like to see for her specific character, Ralph says she'd like viewers to be introduced to Barbara's whole family. "You've seen my daughter; you've seen my husband only once, but it's time to bring my husband back, and we have to wait and see what happens. But who knows? I'd love to see my cousin Denzel," she shares.
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, originally set to take place last September, was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Hosted by Anthony Anderson at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the ceremony will air live Monday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and will be streamed Tuesday, Jan. 16 on Hulu. Keep checking ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage and for the full winners' list.
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