Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph stole the spotlight at the star-studded ACLU SoCal’s Centennial Awards on Sunday.
The Abbott Elementary actresses looked incredible in their stunning gowns as they graced the red carpet at the Westin Bonaventure in Downtown Los Angeles.
Wearing a daring red number, Quinta, 34, effortlessly exuded chicness while flashing her megawatt smile for the shutterbugs.
Sheryl, 67, dazzled in a silver strapless frock, appearing poised to accept her Bill of Rights Award as one of the night’s three honorees.
Presented to those ‘who have meaningfully challenged the status quo,’ the Bill of Rights Awards was also bestowed upon poet Alok Vaid-Menon and the film directing team of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, better known as the Daniels.
Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph stole the spotlight at the star-studded ACLU SoCal’s Centennial Awards on Sunday
Sheryl was tapped for the award as she is the creator of Diva Foundation, which centers on five pillars: health awareness, women and girls, LGBTQ people, social justice and racial equity, and food and housing security.
The Daniels are celebrated for spotlighting immigrant, queer, and Asian-American characters.
And, Vaid-Menon, also known as Alok, contributes to the discourse on ‘trans ordinariness and challenges gender barriers., the ACLU website.
Quinta and Sheryl led a cavalcade of celebs at the event, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Martin Sheen, Shari Belafonte, Dule Hill, Stephanie Hsu and poet Rupi Kaur.
Hosted by actor and activist Jason George, the show will include composer Laura Karpman will performing a piece from American Fiction.
‘Today — and for 100 years — the ACLU SoCal is committed to ensuring that ‘we the people’ means all of us,’ said Marcus Benigno, chief communications and marketing officer at the ACLU SoCal, in a statement.
‘We are proud to honor artists and change-makers who use their talent and power to create a just and inclusive world.’
Earlier this month, Quinta teased ‘major changes’ in the new season of Abbot Elementary.
Wearing a daring red number, Quinta, 34, effortlessly exuded chicness as she flashed her megawatt smile for the shutterbugs
Sheryl was joined by her husband Vincent Hughes
The award-winning star told Good Morning America, ‘Season three is so exciting to me,’ but revealed that due to the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the season was ‘shortened’ to only 14 episodes.
‘I really wanted to make sure every single one was packed with a punch, because we only have so much time with our audience.’
‘But it naturally forced the writers and the cast, who want to put on incredible performances for each episode,’ Quinta added.
‘I think there are some major changes this season that were always gonna be there for the third season, but because we had this shortened episode count, it was even more important for me to give audiences something exciting to come back to.’
‘But not too exciting,’ she explained. ‘You’ll still see your familiar favorite teachers in Philadelphia and on TV. But I think there will be some fun surprises!’
While also on GMA, Quinta talked about her recent Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
She notably made history by ‘being the first black woman to win in over 40 years for best actress in a comedy series.’
‘I didn’t know that until after the fact. I was just emotional at winning, of course,’ she revealed, adding that after she went backstage, ‘That information was given to me and that made me emotional all over again.’
Stephanie Hsu rocked a dramatic black gown
Lisa Ann Walter gave a busty display for the red carpet, while Lisa Edelstein was the talk of the town in her gown
Dylan Mulvaney sparkled in a gold gown for the evening
Dylan opted for minimal makeup and nary an accessory
Miranda Bailey was all about her handbag
The series also stars Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis and Sheryl – who previously won an Emmy for her role in the show.
After Quinta’s Emmy win last month, she recalled that Sheryl told her that, ‘She always knew that this would be case. That she was just proud of me, which is important to me as a writer and creator…’
She later expressed, ‘It’s also wonderful that the cast and people like Sheryl recognize the show overall. And I really felt like that night felt like a win for the entire cast and crew.’
Quinta has been enjoying her time in the Big Apple and watched a show on Broadway called Merrily We Roll Along – which stars her close friend and Harry Potter alum, Daniel Radcliffe.
She had the chance to also go backstage to visit some of the cast members, including Radcliffe and shared a photo of the moment to her Instagram stories on Sunday.
In text added towards the bottom of the image, Brunson typed out, ‘Best cast, best play. Go see Merrily We Roll Along if you can!’
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Monday, the writer revealed her desire to have Daniel on Abbott Elementary to portray the son of Mr. Johnson – played by William Stanford Davis.
‘I love Daniel Radcliffe. He’s a very good, sweet guy, and a friend of mine. For some reason in the [writer’s] room we were like, “What if Daniel Radcliffe was Mr. Johnson’s son?”‘
‘And there’s no rhyme or reason. It’s so dumb. And not like Daniel Radcliffe as somebody, like, Daniel Radcliffe [himself] is Mr. Johnson’s son,’ she explained.
Brunson and Radcliffe are no strangers to working together, and starred alongside each other in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) as well as the show called Miracle Workers.
Meanwhile, Sheryl recently revealed she and her husband Vincent Hughes have ‘no idea’ why others are shocked that they don’t live together.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt looked dapper in his ensemble
Vincent Hughes, a Democratic Senator, looked spiffy in his suit
Icons Martin Sheen and Shari Belafonte posed together as Patricia Danaher and Anna Russo kept it casual yet chic
Rupi Kaur and Dylan Mulvaney were too cute on the red carpet
Sheryl was tapped for the award as she is the creator of Diva Foundation, which centers on five pillars: health awareness, women and girls, LGBTQ people, social justice and racial equity, and food and housing security
Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lena Waithe looked happy to be hanging out together
Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee and Lena Waithe posed together with the award
Sheryl was among three honorees of the Bill of Rights Award
The 67-year-old actress tied the knot with Democrat Senator Hughes, also 67, in 2005 after two years of dating but the pair don’t live under the same roof and don’t see the revelation as a big deal.
Asked why he thought the news caused a stir, Hughes told Entertainment Tonight: ‘I don’t know why, we’ve been commuting ever since the beginning and it has worked for us so it’s cool!’
The actress married Senator Hughes in 2005 after two years of courtship. Despite their marital status, the couple does not share a residence, and they downplay the significance of this revelation.
When questioned about the attention the news garnered, Hughes responded to Entertainment Tonight, stating, ‘I don’t know why, we’ve been commuting ever since the beginning and it has worked for us so it’s cool!’
