Quinta Brunson is focused on celebrating her historic win. During the 2022 Emmys on Sept. 12, the "Abbott Elementary" creator became the second Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the ABC pilot.
But before Quinta accepted her trophy onstage, comedians Will Arnett and Jimmy Kimmel introduced the category with a bit that involved the latter lying lifelessly on the stage. It was a bit that Kimmel remained committed to, even throughout Brunson's acceptance speech -- which sparked backlash on social media. Immediately, after her win, Brunson reflected on the incident backstage with reporters. "I know Jimmy Kimmel, and I don't know, I felt like the bit didn't bother me that much," she said in a video shared on TikTok Sept. 13. "I don't know what the internet thinks, but...I know him. Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot and was one of the first people to see Abbott...and he Instagram messaged me that he saw this comedy and thought it was one of the greatest comedies of all time, and he was so excited that it was going to be on ABC."
See the Winners of the 2022 Emmys
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As Brunson noted, the moment was so overwhelming she wasn't worried about much else. "So, I think in that moment I was just really happy that it was Jimmy up there, I kind of consider him one of the comedy godfathers, I'm a huge fan of Will Arnett," she continued. "So, I was wrapped up in the moment." Brunson jokingly added, "Tomorrow, maybe I'll mad at him. I'm gonna be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face. I don't know, we'll see what happens."
During Brunson's acceptance speech, Kimmel faced backlash from social media users for not exiting stage left and remaining in place as the actress thanked her loved ones.
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"Jimmy Kimmel should've left the stage during Quinta's speech," one user wrote on Twitter. "Highly disrespectful." Another added, "Not really feeling Jimmy Kimmel staying on the ground while Quinta accepting her award. Joke was stale."
In the comments section of Brunson's response included on TikTok, one user wrote, "Quinta not being upset doesn't mean Jimmy wasn't in the wrong. Like two things can be true."
Kimmel has not publicly commented on the backlash.
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