Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph is opening up about her scariest moments as a parent. During her cover story interview with AARP, she recalled her son’s involvement in two horrific incidents that changed her family forever.
“When Etienne was in college, he had a car accident and suffered a concussion. It changed his whole brain,” the “Abbott Elementary” actress said. “Then he got mugged, and they shot him three times. He woke up in the hospital with two bullets in his leg and a wound in his forehead where a bullet had grazed him.”
She shared that when she heard about her son being shot, she “collapsed and dropped the phone.”
“I didn’t even listen to the rest. But they didn’t kill him, thank God,” Ralph said. “Now he runs his own production company and nonprofit, WalkGoodLA, which is centered around healing, mental health, and overall well-being.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph Always Knew She Would be a Mother
Later in the interview, the Emmy winner admitted to being able to envision her children when she met her first husband.
“Children are my greatest gift. I knew I was going to be somebody’s mother. When I met their father, my first husband, I could see my children just as clearly as they are in life right now, and I said, ‘Oh, I know the assignment right here,'” she said. “We got married and had our son, Etienne, and our daughter, Coco. The marriage lasted almost ten years.”
Ralph added that her only regret in life “would be that I didn’t have more children. But I have two beautiful children.”
Ralph shares two children with her ex-husband Eric Maurice – Etienne, 31, and Ivy “Coco”, 28. In addition to his wellness organization and WalkGood Productions, her son also has a clothing brand, WalkGood Wear. Her daughter followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and became a stylist. She works as the stylist for Ralph.
“My mother was a fashion designer, and Coco was very influenced by her. When Coco told us she was going to be an influencer on social media after graduation, I thought I had wasted my money on tuition. But now, almost ten years later, her career path is working for her. This has been a breakout year for both of us,” Ralph said.