If you crash my speech, I’ll crash yours.
Jimmy Kimmel apologized to “Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson after his pretending-to-be-drunk bit at the Emmy Awards distracted from her acceptance speech on Monday.
Kimmel, 54, and Will Arnett, 52, who were the presenters for the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series award, began their segment with a bit in which the actor dragged Kimmel on stage by his ankles as he joked that the TV host had passed out after having “gotten into the skinny margaritas” backstage following his loss in his own category.
When Brunson, 32, walked onstage to accept her award, she had to step over Kimmel’s body to get to the microphone as he pretended to be comatose while lying on the floor.
“Jimmy, wake up, I won,” she said after she was forced to step over him to get to the microphone on Monday. She was played offstage while thanking her family.
Fans criticized Kimmel for being rude to the star and taking away from her moment as he stayed prone on the stage for her entire speech. However, Brunson was gracious, saying she was not upset about his antics.
“I’m going to be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face,” she joked. “I don’t know, we’ll see what happens.”
Near the end of Kimmel’s monologue for his show Wednesday night, Brunson strode onto the stage with her Emmy in hand.
After Kimmel remarked she was “a little early” for her interview, she responded, “I have a little favor to ask. So you know how when you win an Emmy you only have 45 seconds to do an acceptance speech, which is like not that much time. And then … you get less time because someone does a dumb comedy bit that goes on a bit too long?”
“I have heard of that happening in previous years,” Kimmel replied.
“Well, I was wondering, or no, more demanding if I could, I have a couple of extra minutes to thank, you know, a couple of extra people.”
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Kimmel left the stage to her where she thanked the academy “again” and mentioned several names she missed the first time.
Brunson came on as Kimmel’s first guest after the break where he joked of her acceptance speech, “I missed it. How did it go?”
He admitted it was a “dumb” comedy bit. “People got upset. They said I stole your moment, and maybe I did, and I’m very sorry if I did do that. I’m sorry I did do that, actually. And also the last thing I’d ever want to do is upset you because I think so much of you. And I think you know that. I hope you know that.”
Brunson thanked him for his apology but said she was so “wrapped up in the moment” of winning her first Emmy that it didn’t really bother her. “Honestly, I had a good night.”
Kimmel jokingly said it was “all Will Arnett’s fault. He drugged me, and he dragged me out there.”
