Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Silence After Criticism Over His Joke During ‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Quinta Brunson’s Emmys Win

Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson finally got a chance to deliver her full Emmys acceptance speech during Wednesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! episode. Brunson’s speech was cut short during Monday night’s ceremony thanks to an extended comedy bit with Will Arnett dragging Jimmy Kimmel to the stage. Kimmel later apologized to Brunson during her interview on JKL.

Towards the end of Kimmel’s monologue Wednesday night, Brunson came onstage behind him to interrupt him. “You know, you’re a little bit early for your interview. It’s after the commercial,” Kimmel reminded her. Brunson said she knew that, but she wanted Kimmel to give up some of his time so she could finish the speech she wanted to give Monday. “So you know how you win an Emmy, you only have 45 seconds to do an acceptance speech, which is not that much time?” Bronson told Kimmel. “And then you get less time because someone does a dumb comedy bit that goes on a bit too long?”

Brunson used the rest of Kimmel’s monologue block to deliver the speech she intended to give. She thanked Abbott Elementary’s producers and writers, as well as the fans who propelled the show to a second season renewal. She also told the writers to “go to bed,” but admitted that since they are adults, she has “no jurisdiction over when you sleep.”

During Brunson’s interview with Kimmel, things turned a little more serious. Kimmel admitted it was a “dumb comedy bit” that he and Arnett came up with after he drank too much. Audiences at home were upset that Kimmel’s stunt overshadowed Brunson’s win. “I’m very sorry if I did do that – I’m sorry I did do that, actually,” Kimmel said, quickly correcting himself. “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 apologizing. “I was honestly in such a moment of having a good time like I won my first Emmy! I was up there happy, and I was wrapped up in the moment,” she said. Kimmel said he was happy for Brunson’s victory and has been a fan of Abbott Elementary since it started.

During the Emmys, Arnett dragged Kimmel onto the stage to present the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Emmy, with Kimmel pretending to be too drunk to get onstage himself after losing Outstanding Variety Talk Series to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Brunson told Kimmel to get up at the start of her acceptance speech, but he remained on the floor the entire time. Although people in the audience laughed, viewers at home blasted Kimmel for upstaging Brunson.

After the show, Brunson said she wasn’t too bothered by Kimmel’s joke, reports PEOPLE. She pointed out how Kimmel has been a longtime supporter of her work, inviting her on JKL early in her career and praising Abbott Elementary from the beginning.

“He Instagram messaged me that he saw this comedy and thought it was one of the greatest comedies of all time, and he was so excited it was going to be on ABC,” Brunson said Monday. “So, I think, in that moment, I was just really happy that it was Jimmy up there. I kind of consider him one of the comedy godfathers… “I’m a huge fan of Will Arnett, so I was wrapped up in the moment.” However, she joked that she “might punch” Kimmel when she saw him on Wednesday.

During the Walt Disney Company’s Emmys afterparty, Kimmel told Entertainment Tonight he believes Brunson is “unbelievably talented.” He later said of the odd moment, “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.”