Buzz
The star of 'Abbott Elementary,' Sheryl Lee Ralph, has gained attention online for her unique perspective on marriage shared in a recent interview.
For context, 68-year-old Sheryl has been married to Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes since July 2005. Previously, she was wed to French businessman Eric Maurice from 1990 to 2001, with whom she has two grown children.
In an interview with People earlier this month, Sheryl revealed that she and Vincent have never shared a home throughout their nearly two-decade-long marriage.
Sheryl believes their relationship has flourished due to the way they've maintained separate lives, both in their careers and personal spheres. She acknowledged that this would have been 'very difficult' if they had children together, but it hasn’t posed a problem for them.
'You fall in love with someone, and you realize he's not leaving his career. He's not leaving Philadelphia. I'm not leaving Hollywood,' Sheryl shared.
'Every two weeks we see each other, and it’s been working beautifully,' Sheryl continued. 'When I go to see him, I’m thrilled. When it’s time to leave, it’s, ‘Bye-bye. See you soon.’ I’m telling you, life is good.' She added, 'He has his life, I have mine. He has his real career, I have mine. He has his spotlight, I have mine. He’s not concerned with status, he’s doing his thing, and I get to do mine.' Sheryl also emphasized that this unconventional marriage approach should not be criticized, pointing out that she and Vincent are about to mark 20 years together, whereas 'some people can’t even get through two.'
Sheryl's comments were shared by the popular X account, Pop Crave, on Tuesday, and it wasn’t long before others started expressing their opinions.
Some didn’t agree with her, with one notable response stating: 'Marriage is meant to be a union and everything that comes with it, including living under the same roof. Please don’t promote this as a standard for marriage.' However, many praised Sheryl and Vincent’s approach, with one user commenting, 'I’m sorry, but the ideal marriage for me is two people living completely separate and fulfilling lives, but still coming together to make their joint lives even better.' Another joked, 'I was considering separate rooms for me and my future husband, but SEPARATE HOUSES? She’s 85 steps ahead of me.' Someone else added, 'This is honestly the only kind of marriage that would make me consider it.' Another pointed out, 'The nuclear family model has really skewed our view of healthy relationships. If people in love realize cohabitation isn’t for them and they want to keep separate spaces, they should do what works for them!' Another wrote, 'I love how they give each other space. The average person in a relationship is so codependent they couldn’t even imagine this. Good on Sheryl Lee Ralph and her husband. Choose the marriage model that works for you!' Meanwhile, a popular response to the critics asked, 'This is what works for their marriage. Why do y’all care so much in the comments?'
