Who Is Sheryl Lee Ralph's Husband? All About Vincent Hughes

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Sheryl Lee Ralph's connection to Philadelphia is two-fold.

Not only does she portray a Philly-bred school teacher on the hit sitcom Abbott Elementary, she's also been married to Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Hughes for over 15 years.

The pair began dating after meeting through a mutual friend in the early 2000s and eventually wed in 2005. When they met, Ralph was living in Los Angeles, while Hughes was in Philadelphia.

In 2022, Ralph won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her role in Abbott Elementary, making her just the second Black woman to win in that category. She also starred in the popular show Moesha from 1996 to 2001. The actress started her career on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for her role as Deena Jones in 1981's Dreamgirls. She also won an Independent Spirit Award for her performance in the 1990 film To Sleep with Anger.

So who is Sheryl Lee Ralph's husband? Here's everything to know about Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Hughes.

He's a state senator

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Hughes has represented the 7th Senatorial district in Pennsylvania since November 1994. He's also served as the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee since 2011. Hughes has long been an advocate for providing health insurance to the uninsured as well as increasing wages for low-income workers. He's also raised over $1 million in scholarship money for underserved students to attend college.

He is passionate about criminal justice reform

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The state senator continues to work toward reforming the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania, according to his website. In 2017, he established the First Chance Fund in an effort to help children with incarcerated parents. "We want to make sure those children are not left out," Hughes said, according to ABC 27. "They need to have programming. They need to have support."

He also created the $60 million School and Community Anti-Violence Fund, which provides support to schools and communities to reduce violence.

He met Ralph through a mutual friend

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When they were introduced, Ralph and Hughes were both divorced and each had two children. "We believe in each other's mission and each other's work, and we're both very focused on our children and our family," Hughes told Essence in 2020. "I think that really is the foundation. I like what Sheryl's about."

Ralph echoed Hughes' sentiment, saying, "I have a great friend and a great partner; somebody that I absolutely trust."

He gave Ralph a sweet gift when they began dating

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ralph recalled a story from when the pair began dating in the early aughts. Hughes gave her a gift in a blue box and inside was a Pennsylvania almanac. On the inside of the box he'd written, "So you will know more about all the things I truly love."

Ralph recalled feeling moved by the gift. "I was so fascinated that this man wanted me to know right off the get-go that, 'I am all about my state, and I love my city,' " she said.

He and Ralph went to couples therapy

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Ralph and Hughes are open about their commitment to therapy. "It was because we've both been married and divorced before and we had children to think of," Ralph told Essence.

"We hadn't even talked about marriage, but we knew we wanted to go to relationship counseling," Hughes added. "If you're honest in your session, you're leaving everything wide open. It was a way to really reveal ourselves to one another with guidance. It was extremely helpful. I would encourage counseling whether you have a blended family or not."

He and Ralph got married in 2005

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The couple tied the knot on July 30, 2005, at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. Ralph wore an off-the-shoulder champagne-colored silk charmeuse Tadashi gown. The straps were adorned with Swarovski crystals (as was her bouquet) and it featured a seven-foot train. The groom wore a custom-tailored black tuxedo and a white tie. Ralph had 10 bridesmaids, including singer Patti LaBelle.

PEOPLE reported that the matron of honor fainted as the vows began, but the rest of the service went off without a hitch, including a uniting-of-the-families portion to honor the couple's children from previous marriages. Hughes' daughter Ariell gave her father away while his son Alek served as his best man. Ralph's son Etienne Maurice gave his mother away. Her daughter Ivy-Victoria "Coco" Maurice was also in attendance.

He and Ralph split their time between L.A. and Philadelphia

Ralph's work often requires her to be in L.A. while Hughes' career requires him to be in Philadelphia, but the couple make it work. "First of all, 20 years, keeping this marriage together, you have to be together sometime," she told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "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."

She also explained that fans often wonder why she's in Philadelphia: "It's always like, 'What are you doing there?' 'Um, I'm married to Sen. Hughes. I live here.' "

He and Ralph call their marriage "a blessing"

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It's clear how thankful the pair is for each other. "We view our marriage as a blessing. Life could have been very, very different for the both of us," Hughes told Essence. "God led us to each other right at the absolute perfect time. Sheryl is a blessing to me. This relationship and this love is a blessing, and I try to treat it that way."

They also acknowledge that marriage takes effort. Ralph said, "​​You've got to be able to laugh together and really, really communicate with each other. Bad communication will mess everything up."