Jimmy Kimmel apologized to Quinta Brunson after his joke was met with controversy during her acceptance speech at the 2022 Emmy Awards.
Kimmel was in the middle of his monologue on Wednesday’s episode “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” when Brunson interrupted him and got stuck on set with her trophy.
“You know, you’re a little early for your job interview. It’s after the commercial,’ the host joked to his guest.
Brunson replied, “I know, but I really want to ask you a favor. So you know how [when] you win an Emmy, you only have 45 seconds to do a thank you, which isn’t that much time? And then you get less time because someone is doing a stupid comedy that is just a little too long?”
The creator of “Abbott Elementary,” 32, told Kimmel, 54, that she would like to use the time from his show to finish her acceptance speech that he interrupted during Monday’s ceremony and continued to name those she didn’t. could thank.
The comedians later sat down for a one-on-one interview in which Kimmel directly apologized to Brunson for stealing the spotlight during her big moment.
“I want to explain this for those who might be confused by this: that was a silly comedic bit that we thought would be funny,” he said. “I lost, and then I drank too much, and I had to be dragged onto the podium, and then people got upset.
“They said I stole your moment—and maybe I did. I’m very sorry if I did that. I’m sorry I did that, actually. And also, the last thing I would 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 Kimmel for his apology and told him he couldn’t take anything away from her at the time.
“I was honestly in one of those moments of having a good time. I won my first Emmy! I was happy up there, and I was wrapped up in the moment,” she said.
Viewers were upset when Kimmel decided to take the stage when Brunson took home the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for “Abbott Elementary.”
Brunson even tried to get Kimmel off the floor and told him, “Jimmy, wake up, I’ve won” before continuing her speech.
Internet users criticized Kimmel for being inconsiderate and taking away Brunson’s moment, but she addressed his actions at a press conference after the awards, joking, “I might get mad at him tomorrow. I’m going to his show on Wednesday, so maybe I’ll punch him in the face. I don’t know what’s happening.”
She added that the TV host is “one of the comedy godfathers” and that she was happy that he presented her with the award.
“Jimmy gave me my first big late night spot and was one of the first people to see ‘Abbott,'” she recalled, adding: “He sent me an Instagram message that he saw this comedy and thought that It was one of the best comedies of all time.”