Sheryl Lee Ralph, One of Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year
2026-02-27 - 18:15
Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph is among 16 honorees of the 2026 TIME Women of the Year, recognized for her role as “Barbara Howard” on Abbott Elementary and, as described in the TIME article, “teaching by example”. Ralph noted that the honor highlights the “power of women shaping culture and history” in a Facebook post. She said: “Thank you to #TimeMagazine for honoring such an extraordinary group of Women of the Year. Your recognition of me and others continues to spotlight courage, leadership, and the power of women shaping culture and history in real ‘time’...you see what u did there?” She joins other notable 2026 honorees, including actor and singer-songwriter Teyana Taylor; actor Lucy Liu; singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile; actor filmmaker Chloé Zhao; Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; author and podcast host Mel Robbins; actor Mariska Hargitay; artist Amy Sherald; Reshma Kewalramani, president and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Isata Dumbuya, director at Partners In Health; Sister Norma Pimentel; Safeena Husain, founder of Educate Girls; activist and lawyer Mahnoor Omer; Kecia Steelman, CEO of Ulta Beauty; and Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Moms First. The 2026 Women of the Year issue has a worldwide cover featuring Teyana Taylor, accompanied by an in-depth interview. “At a moment when global progress demands bold and decisive action, the 2026 Women of the Year remind us that individual leadership remains one of the most powerful catalysts for change,” said TIME CEO Jessica Sibley. “We are deeply grateful to our partners who share our commitment to amplifying these extraordinary voices. Together, we look forward to convening this remarkable community in Los Angeles to celebrate their leadership and propel meaningful change.” Of this year’s list, TIME editor in chief Sam Jacobs writes: “This annual project...offers needed perspective on the present and a spotlight for those who are shaping our future. For the fifth year in a row we recognize women working to create a more equitable world—leaders who we believe are addressing the most pressing issues confronting women and girls in 2026.” Read more here. TIME will celebrate the 2026 TIME Women of the Year list at the Women of the Year Leadership Forum and Women of the Year Galaon March 10 in Los Angeles. The Leadership Forum will convene leaders from the global TIME100 and TIME communities for a series of conversations highlighting solutions and mobilizing action toward a better, more equitable world. Speakers include actor Mariska Hargitay, author and podcast host Mel Robbins, actor Sheryl Lee Ralph, founder of Moms First Reshma Saujani, World Cup champion Kelley O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer of Autodesk Dara Treseder, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Booking Holdings Leslie Cafferty, Senior Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of Target Michelle Mesenburg, CEO of OpenTable Debby Soo, Chair of Deloitte US Lara Abrash, and more. The TIME Women of the Year Leadership Forum is presented by official design partner Target and signature partners Booking.com, Toyota and Deloitte, and supporting partner Maker’s Mark Kentucky Bourbon. The annual Gala will feature appearances and remarks from honorees including actor and singer-songwriter Teyana Taylor, filmmaker Chloé Zhao, Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Reshma Kewalramani, as well as a musical performance by singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. The TIME Women of the Year Gala is presented by founding partner P&G, official timepiece Rolex, official design partner Target, signature partners Booking.com, Toyota and Deloitte, and supporting partner Maker’s Mark Kentucky Bourbon. The annual TIME Women of the Year list is an extension of the special project, launched by TIME in 2020 in partnership with P&G, that highlighted 100 influential women from the past century, as a way of correcting the record and addressing the legacy of the Man of the Year franchise, which only became known as Person of the Year in 1999. See the 100 Women of the Year project here: https://bit.ly/3Sqd5mb.