‘Abbott Elementary’ creator Quinta Brunson gets an apology from Jimmy Kimmel
“People said I stole your moment," Kimmel said of his Emmys moment, calling it a 'dumb comedy bit.'
This time, it was Quinta Brunson stealing Jimmy Kimmel’s moment.
The Abbott Elementary creator and actress, fresh off winning her first Emmy Award Monday night, crashed Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue Wednesday, comedic revenge for the late-night host’s antics earlier in the week.
“You know how when you win an Emmy, you only have 45 seconds to do an acceptance speech, which is not that much time?” Brunson said to Kimmel. “And you get less time because someone does a dumb comedy bit that goes on a bit too long?”
» READ MORE: Emmy winners from ‘Abbott Elementary’ get an A+ from Philly fans
“You know, I have heard of that happening,” Kimmel responded before surrendering the stage to Brunson to finish her acceptance speech.
While hosting the Emmy Awards on Monday, Kimmel drew complaints after lying lifeless on the stage while Brunson accepted her comedy writing award for Abbott Elementary, the ABC sitcom about teachers at a West Philadelphia elementary school. It was an extension of a comedy bit after Kimmel lost his own Emmy, and it didn’t seem to bother Brunson. But the stunt didn’t sit well with some in the crowd or watching at home.
“I was absolutely confused. I didn’t know what was going on,” Sheryl Lee Ralph, who took home her own Emmy for her role in Abbott Elementary, said during a virtual panel, according to Variety. “I was like, ‘I wish that man would just get up off of the ground.’ And then I realized it was Jimmy Kimmel, and I was like, ‘Ooh, the disrespect, Jimmy!’ But that’s just me.”
» READ MORE: Quinta Brunson says she’s not mad about Jimmy Kimmel’s Emmys stunt. But everyone else is.
On Wednesday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel apologized to Brunson for the stunt, which he described as a “dumb comedy bit.”
“People said I stole your moment,” Kimmel told Brunson. “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 would ever want to do is upset you because I think so much of you. I think you know that. I hope you know that.”
“Well, Jimmy, let me just say, thank you. It is very kind of you to say that,” Brunson responded. “I, honestly, was in such a moment of just having a good time. Like, I won my first Emmy. I was up there happy and I was wrapped up in the moment and just having a good time.”
“It was really Will Arnett’s fault,” Kimmel joked, which Brunson adding, “Screw BoJack Horseman.”
In addition to Brunson and Ralph, Abbott Elementary also won an Emmy for best casting. Brunson, Janelle James, and Tyler James Williams were also all nominated for their acting on the show.
The second season of Abbott Elementary premieres on Thursday, Sept. 21, on ABC.