I was like most people and didn’t see the Emmy Awards 2022. Heck, I didn’t even know when the Emmys were. As has been the norm over the years, I learned about the Emmys about a day or two after the fact, due to some controversy we all care about, even though it had no impact on our lives.
The Emmy Awards this year were a great success.
Jimmy Kimmel, who had just lost an Emmy, decided to do an onstage skit where he was unconscious. This required Will Arnett, his co-host, to drag him onto the stage to present the Outstanding Writing Award in a Comedy Series. Kimmel, in all his wisdom, refused to leave the stage even after Quinta Brunson from Abbott Elementary was named the winner.
Kimmel invited Brunson to his late-night program on Wednesday night, where he apologized for taking the spotlight away from Brunson. Kimmel called it “dumb comedy” and said that it was. He also added, “I’m really sorry I did that.” It’s not something I would want to do. I love you so much. You know this, I’m sure. I hope so.
Brunson handled the situation with grace.
Kimmel was correct to apologize for the bit. But was the moment truly worthy of all the controversy? Brunson was not as upset by the incident as others, and focusing on her win more than her accomplishment overshadows it. You can guess that much of the controversy over the incident revolved around the fact that Jimmy Kimmel, a white male, had taken the spotlight away from Brunson, a black woman whose win has been called “historic” because she was the first black woman in this category.
There are many tweets claiming Kimmel is racist. Kayne West actually came on stage to interrupt Taylor Swift’s acceptance of the award for Best Video By a Female Artist at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. No one said that he was racist. Kimmel gets all out and takes this one a step further than he should. “Racist” is the main bandwagon that the mob jumps onto.
These people have probably thought that Jimmy Kimmel might not be funny.
