NEW YORK — Sheryl Lee Ralph makes us laugh every Wednesday on “Abbott Elementary.” Now in her 60s, she’s a household name thanks to this show, which earned her an Emmy, but her career spans more than four decades. She’s had countless roles on Broadway, film, and television.

Whenever you are down and in need of a speech, you can turn to a Sheryl Lee Ralph speech.

“I enjoy doing it. You know? I will pour hours trying to put the words together,” Ralph said. “I had no idea that it was going to be me. Then they called my name. I was a, woah. Woah. It was as if that moment flipped the mic, and all of a sudden people could hear what I had been saying.”

“Abbott Elementary” is now in its fifth season.

“For me, it has been an amazing platform to serve groups of people, women, men of color, educators of all kinds to shine a light on them and what it is they bring,” Ralph said. “Finally, we see a show where educators get what they deserve. Proper attention, they are the heart of the show. They are not to be made fun of. They’re not a joke. These students and these teachers who put so much into them.”

Her character Barbara Howard gives her plenty of material to work with each week.

“Oh, the fact that she’s evolving. Last year, she was in a state of where am I in life? This season, we see it’s a new chapter for Barbara Howard. She definitely has a new attitude, and I’m loving it,” Ralph said.

There are some big plans in the works for the Halloween episode.

“Listen. You know, I have to be very careful with what I say because Quinta will put me on punishment, and I do not want to go to on punishment. I hate going to the principal’s office,” she said. “Stay tuned. But we get to dress up so outstandingly wonderful.”

Ralph talked about her milestones.

“I’m a 45-year overnight sensation. Each one of those moments have added up to something for me, to have the stardom. Married, two children, divorced, running low on funds. That’s alright. The next show comes in. I meet this little tiny young woman who becomes two years later the person who puts me on to this trajectory that lands me here. And I’m like, Thank you very much, and a hallelujah. Hallelujah. I’m taking the flowers that they are giving to me. They look good. They smell good, and I’m experiencing it. I’m alive and not six feet under. Talk about me now. Tell me everything you want to tell me right now because I can hear you,” Ralph said.

She is so proud of the work her foundation has done and is continuing to do.

“You know, this year, my foundation, the Diva Foundation, divinely inspired, victoriously aware, we celebrate 35 years of raising health awareness, and I continue to tell everybody, you mean something to somebody, and you are important to life right here, right now, if you are alive. Don’t waste that life. Life is a terrible thing to waste,” Ralph said.

Disney is the parent company of ABC and this ABC station. You can watch “Abbott Elementary” at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.