Stolen Spotlight At The Emmys
What Jimmy Kimmel did during Quinta Brunson’s acceptance speech
By Onielia Wilson, Managing Editor
At the 74th Emmy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel prolonged his comedic act by pretending to lie unconscious on stage during Quinta Brunson’s acceptance speech.
The event took place on Sept. 12, 2022, with numerous television industry professionals receiving awards for their excellence. Among the awardees was Quinta Brunson.
Brunson was nominated for three awards for her comedy series, “Abbott Elementary.” It was her first time at the Emmys, and she won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
However, before announcing Brunson’s win, Will Arnett and Kimmel performed a comedy act. Arnett was dragging Kimmel across the floor and pretending that Kimmel had passed out from excessive drinking. As Brunson approached the stage for her speech, Arnett slightly shifted Kimmel’s legs but left him lying in front of the microphone.
“Jimmy, wake up. I won,” said Brunson.
That was her first phrase after receiving the award. Kimmel gave her a thumbs up while remaining in the same position on the floor. Brunson then completed her speech with Kimmel at her feet.
“I think what Kimmel did was funny at first, but when she started her speech, it wasn’t funny anymore,” said Jose, a Lynn University student. “Someone should have ‘woken’ him up at that point.”
Kimmel received backlash for remaining on the floor during Brunson’s acceptance speech, with social media users calling him disrespectful, especially since Brunson is a black woman and women of color do not get enough recognition in the industry.
“We all know comedians can take things too far at times, but there are certain things they need to learn to understand,” said Nabiya, a Lynn freshman. “If it is not in the script, then you should not be doing it, and if it was in the script, that is ridiculous.”
Two days after the awards show on Sept. 14, Brunson was a featured guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Kimmel took the opportunity to publicly apologize for his stunt while stating that he highly regards her and would never purposefully offend her.
Brunson shared that she was in a positive mood because of her win. She was not focused on Kimmel’s move because she was having such a fantastic experience. She accepted his apology, and now everything continues to go smoothly between them.
Many people praised Brunson for her level of professionalism in the situation. Still, some people remain displeased with Kimmel’s actions.“I think Brunson handled the situation well,” said Jonah, a student at Lynn. “It is up to her to accept the apology; since she did, everyone else should move on from the situation.”
