Amidst a slew of controversy, actress Quinta Brunson addressed Jimmy Kimmel’s joke at last night’s Emmy Awards.
Towards the end of the night, Quinta took home the Emmy for Outstanding Writing For a Comedy Series for her show Abbott Elementary — the series in which she created, writes, and currently stars.
Although the Emmys are typically known to include multiple comedic bits, some felt Jimmy took his to a new level.
Presenter Will Arnett dragged Jimmy out (by his feet) behind him before announcing the winner of the category, and as Quinta took the stage and gave her acceptance speech, Kimmel remained “passed out” on the floor directly behind her.
Quinta did playfully address Jimmy’s presence on the ground before taking the mic, and although some viewers figured Jimmy would let her have her moment alone, he simply gave a thumbs up to the actress and remained in the same spot.
When asked how she felt about the bit, Quinta seemed to be in good spirits about the situation.
Quinta Brunson addresses Jimmy Kimmel’s bit at the Emmy Awards
“Tomorrow maybe I’ll be mad at him,” she said to the press after receiving her award. “I’m going to be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face. I don’t know what happens.”
Quinta said she was happy to have had Jimmy “present” her award, as she views the talk show host as “one of the comedy godfathers.”
The writer also said she was grateful to Jimmy for initially giving her a platform. “Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot and was one of the first people to see Abbott,” she said. “He Instagram messaged me that he saw this comedy and thought it was one of the greatest comedies of all time.”
Fans upset over Jimmy Kimmel taking away from Quinta Brunson’s moment
Although Quinta may have seen the playfulness in Jimmy Kimmel’s bit, others took their frustrations to social media. Many believed his presence on the stage translated as white male privilege and took away from Quinta’s record-breaking moment.
“I’m tired of Black women having to exert grace, maneuver around roadblocks, and share their spotlight for no reason,” one user shared on Twitter.
“We can get Will Arnett dragging Jimmy Kimmel on stage for 10 minutes but can’t let Quinta Brunson thank her husband?” Another user asked.
“I don’t know of a better example of invasive white male privilege than Jimmy Kimmel laying in the middle of Quinta Brunson’s #Emmys2022 speech. He had no business/right to take up space in the way that he did,” user @TheCourtKim tweeted.
Although Jimmy may have gotten a slew of backlash, he still remains committed to the controversial joke — “I had my eyes closed, I had no idea where I was. It was one of the weirdest things that’s ever happened to me,” he told Entertainment Tonight.