Nischelle Turner introduces Sheryl Lee Ralph's Walk of Fame ceremony
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00:00Well, I'm just so honored to be here today, and I'm kind of like taken aback because he did that
00:08with no notes. Not one. I had the whole binder this morning because I had to be good for Miss
00:13Cheryl. So good morning, everybody, and welcome to Hollywood. Good morning. Yeah, hold on. We're
00:18going to act like we're in church. When I say good morning, you say? Good morning. Thank you
00:23very much. All right. Okay. We first want to give a big shout out to all of our fans that are
00:28watching around the world on our live stream presented by our media partner, Variety. So
00:32thank you all for tuning in today for Cheryl's celebration. Now, the Hollywood Walk of Fame
00:37recognizes achievement in the categories of motion pictures, radio, live theater, live
00:43performance, sports entertainment, recording, and television. And today, in the category
00:48of television, we honor Cheryl Lee Rout.
00:52As she receives star number 2808 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yes. Now, before we bring Cheryl
01:02up to the stage, I want to tell you a little bit about our honoree. Cheryl Lee Rout has become
01:07a staple in the entertainment industry with an acclaimed career spanning more than four decades.
01:14Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, as the daughter of a college professor and a Jamaican fashion designer,
01:20Cheryl was raised between Mandeville, Jamaica and Long Island, New York. In 1973, she was
01:25crowned Miss Black Teenage New York. Two years later, at age 19, she was the youngest woman
01:32to ever graduate from Rutgers University. Yes, indeed. During her time at Rutgers, Cheryl was
01:42one of the earliest winners of the Irene Ryan acting scholarships awarded by the Kennedy Center
01:47American College Theater Festival. She was also that year named as one of the top 10 college
01:53women in America by Glamour magazine. Cheryl can currently be seen starring in the award-winning
02:01ABC Warner Brothers television comedy series, Abbott Elementary, opposite creator Quinta Brunson.
02:11Now, for her portrayal of Barbara Howard, Abbott's veteran teacher on the series, she won the 2022
02:17Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as the Critics' Choice Award for Best
02:23Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. And in 2023 and 2024, she received her second and third Emmy
02:32nominations for this role. Now, in 2023, she also landed nominations for the Golden Globes Best
02:40Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Comedy or Drama Television Series and the
02:46Film Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series. Her other
02:52television credits include Motherland Fort Salem, Ray Donovan, Claus, Moesha, Instant Mom, Barbershop,
03:03One Mississippi, Designing Women, New Attitude, It's a Living, and much, much more. On the big screen, Cheryl made her feature film debut at 20 years old, opposite Oscar winner Sidney Poitier in Warner Brothers' A Piece of the Action.
03:20Yeah, y'all can clap for that. Absolutely. I love this feedback, by the way. I love it. She went on to work with more of Hollywood's other top-leading, award-winning men in films, including The Mighty Quinn, opposite Denzel Washington, Mistress with Robert De Niro, To Sleep with Anger with Danny Glover, and The Distinguished Gentleman with Eddie Murphy. Yes.
03:45Her additional feature credits include Sister Act II, Back in the Habit, The Comeback Trail, Netflix's Stepsisters, Just Getting Started, The Fabulous Four, and Ricky.
04:02On stage, he said she was a triple threat, so I'm laying it out for y'all today, right? I'm laying it out.
04:09On stage, Cheryl is well-known for her award-winning work, such as the Broadway musical Dream Girl.
04:15That earned her the Best Actress Nodds for Tony and Drama Desk Awards, and in 2002, she originated Muzzy Van Hosmer in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
04:31Now, Cheryl most recently appeared as Madame Morrible in Wicked Becoming.
04:35She became the first African-American actress to take on that classic role.
04:44Now, off-screen, Cheryl is a passionate health advocate and honored AIDS activist.
04:49She is the founder of the Diva Foundation, a national non-profit...
04:54A national non-profit 501c3 charitable organization, as a memorial and lifelong pledge to the many friends she has lost to HIV AIDS.
05:04The foundation has been committed to achieving better health outcomes for all people through innovative programming, using the transformative power of the arts.
05:15She is the AIDS ambassador for Jamaica's Ministry of Health, and recently received the prestigious Honorary Order of Jamaica for her contributions as an actress and cultural ambassador of Jamaica.
05:28Now, before we bring you to the stage, Ms. Cheryl, we have a couple friends who would like to say some words about you.