Sheryl Lee Ralph alleges she was sexually assaulted by a “famous TV judge” who had a television show on the same network as her at the time.

Ralph recalled that the incident happened in a “very public place” with network executives present. “I was suited. I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time,” she explained on The Way Up With Angela Yee podcast earlier this week. “He and I were on the same network.”

“This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around and rammed his nasty-ass tongue down my throat,” she recalled, getting visibly upset. “And everybody at the network saw it.”

While she did not name the person involved, Ralph made it clear that the alleged “famous TV judge” who committed the assault was not Judge Greg Mathis, who has had his own television show since 1998. “Not Judge Mathis — I love him, he’s a great man,” she said.

Ralph recalled calling then-mayor of New Orleans Marc Morial, who offered to send police. But the network asked her to stay silent.

“Somebody on the network tapped me on the shoulder. They said, ‘Please don’t,’” she said. “They did not want any bad press around their show, and did not care what had just happened to me.”

Ralph said people at the network urged her not to say anything, even after witnessing the incident, because she and her alleged assailant both had new shows on the network.

The Abbott Elementary actress publicly addressed the alleged assault for the very first time on Yee’s podcast, where she was promoting her new book, Diva 2.0. Their discussion about the #MeToo movement began after Yee pointed out that Ralph wrote about the movement and her own experiences in the book.

“That’s the kind of stuff that happens,” Ralph said. “That’s what makes it hard for women to speak up about these things.”

The Emmy Award-winning actress and singer urged others to speak up about their own experiences.

“It’s hard. I would say, nowadays, speak up. Tell your truth. Do not carry the burden of that pain — especially if you feel like it is something you cannot work through,” she said.

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.