If you watched the Emmy Awards this season, you probably saw Jimmy Kimmel pulling a gag as Quinta Brunson snagged her very first Emmy awards for ‘Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.’
Ms. Brunson had to literally step over him to deliver her winner’s speech and couldn’t even get a shot without him in it – something Twitter wasn’t pleased about. The presenter plus his co-presenter, Will Arnett, were slammed online for their disrespectful actions.
Now, according to Uproxx, while interviewing Quinta Brunson on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Show, the late-night host, personally apologized for lying on the floor, making it exceedingly awkward for her to deliver her Emmys speech. Unlike most comedians, Jimmy owned up to his mistake and made things right with the award-winning actress/director.
“I’m sorry I did do that, actually,” Kimmel said. “And also, the last thing I would ever want to do was upset you because I think so much of you.”
While the controversy has phased out, Jimmy didn’t let things blow over. Instead, he recently had a conversation with SiriusXM’s show host, Howard Stern, about why the stunt backfired and how he totally understood how it distracted from what should’ve been Quinta’s momentous moment.
“How I visualized this happening is [Will Arnett] drags me out, we read the winner, and then I’m just basically just out of the shot, and it’s not really a factor,” Jimmy explained.
“But the stage was very different. The stage was like a catwalk. So, I was kind of in the way, in a way I didn’t imagine.”
According to Mr. Kimmel, he didn’t realize dad the bit had caused a stir until after the award show had ended, and he understands why people were furious.
“It did take away — especially afterward — because then she had to answer questions about that instead of just celebrating her Emmy,” Kimmel said.
Jimmy also addressed people “who read racial stuff into this” by saying the failed gag would’ve bombed in the same exact way, regardless of the winner.
“This was a plan I had no matter who [won],” he said.
