Quinta Brunson won her first Emmy last night for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary.
The room roared with applause as she took to the stage to accept her award, but one person was standing — or should we say, lying — in her way: Jimmy Kimmel.
The late night host remained on the ground after an earlier bit he did with Will Arnett. While it did garner some laughs from the crowd, many people on Twitter found it disrespectful and a way to take the spotlight away from Quinta's big moment.
Jimmy Kimmel owes Quinta an apology but the messed up part is every image of her accepting her award has his ass in it. White men really are insufferable.
The backlash continued online as people thought his actions were a way of overshadowing Quinta's moment.
This is a picture of America: white people’s insatiable desire to center themselves in moments of black joy and celebration. They think it’s a joke. We know it’s an addiction and distraction. Sadly, Jimmy’s foolishness is now louder than Quinta’s win. That is whiteness.
It wasn't until after she left the stage that Quinta expressed how she felt about Jimmy's stunt. During a press room interview with Variety, Quinta explained why she wasn't too upset about it.
"I don't know," Quinta told Variety. "I know Jimmy Kimmel and I felt like the bit didn't bother me that much. I don't know what the internet thinks."
"Jimmy gave me my first late night spot and was one of the first people to see Abbott."
The 32-year-old series creator went on to gush about her friend, admitting that after Jimmy watched Abbott Elementary he told Quinta it was "one of the greatest comedies of all time."
"I think in that moment, I was really happy that it was Jimmy up there. I kind of consider him one of the comedy godfathers, and I'm a huge fan of Will Arnett, so I was wrapped up in the moment."
"I don't know, tomorrow maybe I'll be mad at him," Quinta concluded. "I'm going to be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face. We'll see what happens."
Jimmy also addressed the controversy during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, admitting, "I had my eyes closed, I had no idea where I was. It was one of the weirdest things that’s ever happened to me.”
But no matter the controversy surrounding the moment, we were just glad to see Quinta shining on stage, receiving the accolades she so rightfully deserves!
To listen to Quinta's full response, check out Variety's interview below. And be sure to watch Season 2 of Abbott Elementary when it returns to ABC on Sept. 21.
Quinta Brunson addressed Jimmy Kimmel laying on stage during her #Emmys acceptance speech: "I felt like the bit didn’t bother me that much...Tomorrow maybe I’ll be mad at him. I’m going to be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face." https://t.co/Bm8Bfhyi0k
Let us know how you feel about all of this in the comments!