Los Angeles [US], March 23 : Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph has made a shocking revelation!
On the podcast, 'The Way Up With Angela Lee', Ralph alleged she was sexually assaulted by a "famous TV judge" at a business event years ago, Variety reported.
She also claimed that network executives witnessed the attack, but asked her to stay silent to avoid "bad press."
"I'm at a very public place. I was suited. I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time. He and I were on the same network," Ralph said, recalling the alleged incident.
"This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around and rammed his nasty ass tongue down my throat," Ralph said, adding, "And everybody at the network saw it."
She did not name the man who allegedly assaulted her, and she did not reveal which network or show she was working with, at the time. Ralph made sure to note it was not Judge Greg Mathis. "I love him. He's a great man," she said of the "Judge Mathis" star, adding, "Not him at all. He's a great man. This was another one."
She decided to disclose the incident in order to encourage other women and actors to stand up for themselves.
"Speak up, tell your truth, do not carry the burden of the pain ... especially if you feel like it's something you can't work through," Ralph said.
Ralph said she was ready to report the incident, even calling the former mayor of New Orleans, Marc Morial, who was in office from 1994 to 2002. (During that timeframe, Ralph starred on the UPN sitcom "Moesha.") Ralph said the mayor immediately came to her defense, asking, "You want me to send the police there right now? 'Cause we will fix this, you know what!" But the network, Ralph claims, asked her to stay silent.
"Somebody on the network tapped me on the shoulder saying, 'Please don't,'" Ralph shared, adding, "They did not want any bad press around their show, and did not care what had just happened to me."
"They saw what happened," Ralph continued. Recalling what she was told by network executives and bystanders, she said, adding, "It's not that bad is it? Please don't say anything. We don't need the bad press. It's a brand new show. Yours is a new show ... It wasn't so bad after all, was it?"
"That's the kind of stuff that happens. That's what makes it hard for women to speak up about these things," Ralph added.
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