Sheryl Lee Ralph may have played a mom who didn’t want her daughter to pursue singing, but off camera, she knows better.
In a spoof on her iconic line from ‘Sister Act 2’ the Abbot Elementary star, reenacted her famed scene from the 1993 film while appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
“Singing does not pay the bills, singing does not put food on the table,” Ralph said, repeating her line as Florence Watson, mother to Lauryn Hill‘s character Rita—however Clarkson cut in with an updated version of the scene.
“But it does,” Clarkson interjected.
“Oh, yes it does!” Ralph replied to laughs from Clarkson’s talk show audience.
And fans of both the legendary actress and singer both took to the comments, loving the twist on the throwback.
“Absolute CORE MEMORY of her saying that,” one commenter wrote.
“Oh my god ICONIC,” added another.
“Everybody’s out there singing there shouldda coulda wouldas!l” wrote a third, adding in another line of Ralph’s character.
However, one fan was shocked to find out that the 68-year-old was in the famed move to begin with.
“THIS IS HOW I FIND OUT SHE WAS THE MOM FROM SISTER ACT?!?!” they wrote.
Along with Hill, ‘Sister Act 2’ starred Whoopi Goldberg,Kathy Najimy, and the late Maggie Smith. Additionally, in contrast to Rita’s opposition to singing, Ralph is known far starring in the original Broadway production of ‘Dreamgirls’ in 1982.
While Ralph is slated to appear on Clarkson’s show on Tuesday, it is not clear when the apppearance was actually taped. The actress shared this week that her brother passed away recently.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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