Sheryl Lee Ralph has a successful career as an actress and is married. The 67-year-old has been in a long-distance marriage for almost two decades, and people wonder how she makes it work. During the 2024 Out100 Event, the actress told PEOPLE the secret to her marriage’s success.
“My husband and I are technically very married,” the actress told PEOPLE at the event.
“And people always say, ‘Well, how does that work? How does that work?’ I [say], ‘Dolly Parton knows how it works.’ She’s been married [to Carl Thomas Dean] for 50 years. You have never seen her husband one time. You know why? ‘Cause they plan on staying married,” she explained. “And guess what we plan on? Staying married.”
The Abbott Elementary actress has been married to Vincent J Hughes, the governor of Philadelphia since July 2005.
During the interview, Ralph also shared that they’d soon be celebrating their 20th anniversary next year.
“Our business is in the bedroom. Thank you!,” she added. In September, the Emmy winner alluded to having a big celebration to mark two decades together.
“Well, his state is Pennsylvania, his city is Philadelphia. Maybe [we’ll celebrate] in the courtyard of city hall or on the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. That would be wonderful,” she added. “I don’t know, but it’ll be fabulous.”
She also added that she’d “absolutely” be having a party to go along with the festivities., “Why go small? Big party.” This isn’t the first time the actress has opened up about navigating a long distance marriage. In an interview at Elle‘s Women in Hollywood event in Los Angeles, Ralph said they see each other about every two weeks.
“First of all, 20 years, keeping this marriage together, you have to be together some time,” she told the Philadelphia Inquirer in a past interview. “Vincent is not able to leave the state the way I can leave the state. In fact, in 20 years of our being together, I’m going to say my husband has maybe been in California, maybe, 25 times. That means I’m in Philadelphia every two weeks.”
These two are a testament that sometimes distance does make the heart grow fonder and when you’re committed, any relationship can work.
