“Abbott Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph didn’t see the humor in Jimmy Kimmel’s distracting stunt at the 2022 Emmys.
The late-night host was dragged on stage by Will Arnett to present the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, but was “passed out” because he “had gotten into the skinny margaritas” after losing the Emmy for his late-night series for the “13th time in a row.”
When Ralph’s co-star and “Abbott Elementary” creator Quinta Brunson walked onstage to accept the award, Kimmel stayed committed to the bit and did not move, resulting in Brunson struggling to get near the microphone for her speech.
According to reporters at a Television Critics Association summer press tour panel on Wednesday, Ralph was less than impressed.
“I was absolutely confused. I didn’t know what was going on,” she revealed. “But I was like, ‘I wish that man would just get up off the ground … And then I realized it was Jimmy Kimmel.”
“Ooh, the disrespect. I told him, too, to his face,” Ralph added. “He understood.”
Kimmel’s stunt was slammed online, too, as some fans accused him of “white privilege” and arguably ruining Brunson’s big moment.
However, Brunson didn’t mind his antics.
“Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot and was one of the first people to see ‘Abbott,’” she told the press after the moment. “He Instagram messaged me that he saw this comedy and thought it was one of the greatest comedies of all time.”
Coincidently, Brunson appears on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Wednesday, so it’s yet to be determined if she’s changed her mind on the encounter.
As for Ralph, she received a standing ovation for her Emmys acceptance speech in which she sang Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species” and gave motiving words about never giving up.
Season 2 of “Abbott Elementary” premieres Sept. 21 on ABC.