Fans have slammed Jimmy Kimmel for lying on stage during Quinta Brunson’s Emmys acceptance speech on Monday.
Brunson won her first Emmy for “Abbott Elementary’s” first season for outstanding writing in a comedy series.
Will Arnett brought Jimmy Kimmel onto the stage to reveal the award winner before Brunson took the stage. Kimmel pretended to be unconscious after consuming an excessive amount of “thin margaritas.”
However, Kimmel remained lying down onstage after Brunson accepted her award.
Brunson remarked as she reached the microphone, “Jimmy, wake up, I’ve won”
Chris Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter later released a video to Twitter of Arnett dragging Kimmel offstage following Brunson’s speech.
Brunson told reporters backstage that the moment “didn’t affect me too much,” but she was uncertain of how followers would respond online to the moment.
“Jimmy gave me my first major late-night position and was among the first people to view ‘Abbott,'” she remarked. He informed me over Instagram that he had seen this comedy and believed it to be one of the best comedies of all time.
I kind of consider him one of the comedy godfathers; I’m a huge fan of Will Arnett, so I was caught up in the moment. I don’t know — tomorrow maybe I’ll be upset 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.
Considering it was Brunson’s first Emmy win, a number of people chastised Kimmel for detracting from her moment.
Extremely rude, according to HuffPost editor Philip Lewis, Jimmy Kimmel should have left the stage during Quinta’s speech.
Sociology professor and author Heba Gowayed commented, “If #QuintaBrunson walking over #JimmyKimmel who practically laid in her spotlight on the day she won an Emmy is not a metaphor for what it means to be a WOC in a white man’s society, I don’t know what is.”
In addition, Andy Dehnart, secretary of the Television Critics Association, tweeted: “Jimmy Kimmel’s decision not to get out of Quinta Brunson’s way was (shitty, egotistical, crap). #Emmys.”
Insider has reached comment from Kimmel’s representative.