At least one Abbott Elementary member is defending her boss after that strange moment during the Emmys on Monday when Jimmy Kimmel played dead on stage as Quinta Brunson took the stage to accept her award.
At ABC’s TCA Day on Wednesday, the actors were asked how they felt in the room when Brunson, the EP, and star of the ABC comedy, accepted her first Emmy while Kimmel lay motionless beneath her. Co-star Lisa Ann Walter thought it “played funny,” but Ralph, who won her own Emmy on Monday, wasn’t having it.
“I was absolutely confused,” she told reporters. “I didn’t know what was going on. I wish that man would just get up off the ground. Then I realized it was Jimmy Kimmel. Ooh, the disrespect, Jimmy! But that’s just me. I told him, too, to his face. He understood.”
“The Emmy winner has become so bold!” Walters responded.
Will Arnett dragged the late-night star on stage for a bit before announcing the winner for Best Writing in a Comedy Series for those who missed the gimmick. Brunson won, but Kimmel, who said nothing during the entire skit but gave the Emmy winner a thumbs up, chose to stay put. Brunson even attempted to wake him up by saying, “Jimmy, wake up.” “I won,” but he wouldn’t budge.
Brunson said backstage that she didn’t mind too much.
“I don’t know. I know Jimmy Kimmel. The bit didn’t bother me. Honestly, Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot; he was one of the first people to see Abbott Elementary. He was the first person to message me on Instagram. He was so excited it was going to be on ABC. I was happy it was Jimmy. He’s one of the comedy godfathers. Tomorrow maybe I’ll be mad at him.”
Brunson is set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. “I’m going to tape it right after this. It will be a good old fashioned conversation,” she told reporters today. “I think it will be a good time. You’ll have to tune in and watch.”
