The late-night talk show host is under hot water over extending his comedic bit during Quinta Brunson’s acceptance at the 74th Emmy Awards last Monday night. Will Arnett and Kimmel came out to present Writing for a Comedy Series. Arnett was dragging a lifeless Kimmel over to the microphone and funnily reached for the envelope in Kimmel’s jacket.
Quinta Brunson accepts the #Emmy for writing for a comedy series for #AbbottElementary. https://t.co/h3GrtHDmKy pic.twitter.com/ZmqM1P82XJ
— Variety (@Variety) September 13, 2022
After Brunson was announced as the winner for her work on ‘Abbot Elementary’, Kimmel oddly stayed lying down while Brunson made her speech.
“Jimmy, wake up. I won!” quips Brunson.
Jimmy Kimmel fully committed to that bit! Will Arnett dragged him out to present and once the show cut to commercial, he dragged him offstage too. ☠️ #Emmys pic.twitter.com/0VbKHV8BnY
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) September 13, 2022
But Kimmel stay put even when Brunson put her phone on top of him. While Brunson seemed to take the comedy bit in stride, the internet was not laughing along.
Quinta Brunson deserved better than giving her acceptance over Jimmy Kimmel’s “dead” body. #Emmys #AbbottElementary pic.twitter.com/ofP5mkXpvy
— Garin Pirnia (@gpirnia) September 13, 2022
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jimmy kimmel laying on the floor while quinta has her moment is extremely irritating
— Connor Perrett (@connorperrett) September 13, 2022
If #QuintaBrunson stepping over #JimmyKimmel who literally laid in her spotlight on the day she won an Emmy isn’t a metaphor for what it means to be a WOC in a white mans world I don’t know what is.
— Heba Gowayed هبة جويد (@hebagowayed) September 13, 2022
Countless tweets angry at Kimmel were fired off during and after the Emmy broadcast. Some found the act very rude and disrespectful to Brunson who is the first black woman to earn 3 nominations in the comedy catagory in the same year. She is also only the second black woman to win the comedy writing catagory after Lena Waithe won for ‘Master of None’ in 2017.
Quinta Brunson addressed Jimmy Kimmel laying on stage during her #Emmys acceptance speech: "I felt like the bit didn’t bother me that much…Tomorrow maybe I’ll be mad at him. I’m going to be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face." https://t.co/Bm8Bfhyi0k pic.twitter.com/cMDuZbq0AQ
— Variety (@Variety) September 13, 2022
Variety asked Brunson in the press room after receiving her award, what she thought of Kimmel.
“I know Jimmy Kimmel, and I don’t know, I felt like the bit didn’t bother me that much. I don’t know what the internet thinks… I know him… Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot and was one of the first people to see ‘Abbott,’” she said to press backstage. “…So in that moment, I think I was just really happy that it was Jimmy up there. I kind of consider him one of the comedy godfathers. I was wrapped up in the moment.”
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Thank you @jontaoht for taking Jimmy Kimmel out the shot ????. Go awf Quinta pic.twitter.com/pvI4qSnX0y
— George M Johnson Garçon (@IamGMJohnson) September 13, 2022
“Tomorrow maybe I’ll be mad at him. I’m going to be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face. I don’t know, we’ll see what happens,” Brunson joked.