Sheryl Lee Ralph’s epic speech and Jimmy Kimmel steals Quinta Brunson’s thunder: ‘Abbott Elementary’ at the Emmys

Abbott Elementary, the ABC sitcom about the teachers at a West Philadelphia elementary school, took home three Emmys for its first season.

Sheryl Lee Ralph won for best supporting actress in comedy, while writer, star and West Philly native Quinta Brunson took home the Emmy for best comedy writing. The show also won a best casting Emmy, which tracks considering that Brunson, Janelle James and Tyler James Williams were also up for acting nods. This is Ralph’s first Emmy in her four decade-plus career, while Brunson made Emmys history.

Abbott Elementary lost best comedy series to Ted Lasso. Succession won for best drama series. Other big winners included Hacks’ Jean Smart, who beat out Brunson for best actress in a comedy series, and Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis who won best actor in a comedy series. Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae became the first foreign language actor to win for best actor in a drama series.

» READ MORE: ‘Abbott Elementary’ is full of Philly references. Here’s a list of all of them.

Ralph, who plays Jim Gardner-loving veteran educator Barbara Howard, beat out nominees in the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series category including fellow Abbott star Janelle James, Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live), and Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso) for the win. Ralph had previously won a Tony Award for her role in Dreamgirls.

Ralph opened her speech by singing Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species.” “I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like. This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you,” she said.

» READ MORE: Sheryl Lee Ralph wins best supporting actress Emmy for role as Barbara Howard in ‘Abbott Elementary’

Ralph, also known as the first lady of Pennsylvania’s 7th Senatorial District thanks to her marriage to State Sen. Vincent Hughes, portrays teacher Barbara Howard on Abbott. The character, a veteran educator who shepherds rookies through tough situations, was modeled after creator and Philly native Quinta Brunson’s mom, who herself was a kindergarten teacher.

Abbott and Brunson best comedy writing Emmy comes from one of seven nominations the show earned in July. To win, it beat out fellow nominees including HBO’s Barry, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, and FX’s What We Do in the Shadows, among others.

» READ MORE: Quinta Brunson says she’s not mad about the Kimmel Emmys stunt. But everyone else is

During Brunson’s acceptance speech, presenter Jimmy Kimmel continued a bit where he lay on the floor pretending to be passed out. Twitter was not amused by the joke, and criticized the late night comedian for stealing Brunson’s spotlight.

With the award, Brunson becomes the second Black woman in Emmys history to take home an award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. The first was Lena Waithe, who won with fellow writer Aziz Ansari for Netflix’s Master of None in 2017.

» READ MORE: Sheryl Lee Ralph wins best supporting actress Emmy for role as Barbara Howard in ‘Abbott Elementary’

Brunson is the first Black woman to earn three nominations in the award show’s comedy category — and, at 32, the youngest Black woman ever nominated for an acting award in the comedy category.

The show specifically won for its pilot episode, which Brunson wrote. Brunson, a West Philadelphia native, also created the series and stars as teacher Janine Teagues.

The award is the latest Abbott achievement for Brunson, who has had a whirlwind year. Following its debut in December, Abbott became the first ABC comedy to quadruple its ratings after its premiere episode, and it went on to become a local favorite thanks in part to its authentic Philly roots and setting.

Brunson herself was also named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in May. Last month, she inked an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group to create new projects for all the studio’s platforms.

The Emmy wins are yet another achievement for Abbott, which quickly became a breakout hit following its debut in December. It became the first ABC comedy to quadruple its ratings following its premiere, and was renewed in March for a second season.

Abbott, meanwhile, premieres its second season on ABC on Sept. 21. The day after airing, new episodes will be available to stream via Hulu, and will later be available via HBO Max.