Sheryl Lee Ralph attended the Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica on Sunday, wearing a burgundy Tony Ward dress and pointed-toe heels — but there might have been more to her shoe look than meets the eye.
The “Abbott Elementary” star revealed to E! News her personal tricks to surviving red carpets in potentially uncomfortable footwear: local anesthetic and glue.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
JC Olivera/WWD
“When you’re coming down these red carpets it’s not time for hiccups,” she told the news outlet. “I live by Lidocaine if the shoe even has the possibility of being uncomfortable and then I spray the shoe with spray adhesive, get my foot in and there is no flip-floppage.”
Ralph’s pointed-toe shoes peeked out beneath her full-length dress, which featured a fitted halterneck bodice with crystal trim and an A-line skirt with a swirling floral design.
Ralph is styled by her daughter Ivy “Coco” Maurice. She discussed her in conversation with WWD last year at the Golden Globes, when she wore custom Saint John. “I have an incredible style team led by Ivy Coco. And she does an amazing job, she keeps getting better and better.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Gilbert Flores/Variety
Sharp pointed-toe heels are a go-to formal footwear look for Ralph, whether glossy red or metallic silver or gold. And now we know she doesn’t tolerate flip-floppage.
Sheryl Lee Ralph attends MISCAST25 Gala at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 7, 2025, in New York City.
John Lamparski/Getty Images
