Quinta Brunson's Reaction To Jimmy Kimmel's Bit At The Emmys Was Surprising

The Emmys may seem like a monotonous parade of stars in safe gowns winning the same awards every year. But for those competing, especially first-time winners of color, it can mean everything in an industry stacked against them. Such was the case of Quinta Brunson, and despite thinking himself funny, these tweets about Jimmy Kimmel interrupting her Emmys speech are a reminder never to belittle someone’s special moment.

Quinta Brunson’s career is one that came from outside the Hollywood machine. She first gained prominence through her Insta series Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date, which got her hired by Buzzfeed.

She then came up with the idea for a little show called Abbott Elementary. The ABC broadcast series has been a massive success via word-of-mouth in an era where large marketing budgets and streaming are kings. As the creator, executive producer, writer, and star, Brunson’s success is a real Hollywood Cinderella story. Winning the Emmy for the show’s first season was just the icing on the cake... until Jimmy Kimmel decided to play it for laughs. Here’s how fans felt about it:

To be fair, the bit probably wasn’t Kimmel’s idea but that of the producers. After all, broadcast networks like ABC (which Jimmy is a significant part of) barely got any acknowledgment by the Emmys this year, with streaming shows getting all the attention. Joking that he would pass away if ABC won, and then doing just that could have been funny. The problem was that no one thought about getting him off stage afterward.

Worse, no one thought about the optics of a white man lying in the spotlight as a Black woman took the stage to give what may be her one and only acceptance speech at a major awards ceremony. She had to stand there, stoically ignoring him, while experiencing something he has done so many times, that it’s practically taken for granted.

In other words, Kimmel’s bit about passing away stunk up the stage like, well, a body that had just passed.

Fans were displeased, as you can see above, but when asked about it by reporters, Brunson admitted she was so wrapped up in the moment, Kimmel’s antics didn’t register. “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,” she told reporters backstage. “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.”

Brunson was even able to joke about it: “I kind of consider him one of the comedy godfathers... I was wrapped up in the moment.” Quinta then teased, "Tomorrow, maybe I’ll be 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.”

Abbot Elementary Season 1 is streaming on Hulu. Season 2 premieres Sept. 21, 2022, at 8 p.m. on ABC.