Kimmel, 54, was lying “passed out” on the stage after being dragged on by Will Arnett, and continued the joke as Brunson, 32, accepted the award for outstanding writing for a comedy series for her show Abbott Elementary. She referenced Kimmel but continued to give her speech as he lay at her feet.

The joke didn’t go down well to some online, with one Twitter user getting thousands of likes for calling the moment “a metaphor for what it means to be a [woman of color] in a white man’s world.”

Kimmel became a trending topic online, with some defending Kimmel for making a joke in a comedy category, while others writing that Brunson “deserved better.”

Both Kimmel and Brunson spoke about the incident afterwards, with the award winner stating that she wasn’t mad at him. She joked in the press room she would be appearing on his show Wednesday where she might “punch him in the face, I don’t know.”

Twitter user @hebagowayed received more than 20,000 likes for her tweet. “If #QuintaBrunson stepping over #JimmyKimmel who literally laid in her spotlight on the day she won an Emmy isn’t a metaphor for what it means to be a WOC in a white mans world I don’t know what is,” she wrote.

Many agreed with the statement. “Exactly what I just said and explained to my 11 year old daughter! The upmost disrespect!” @Crystalleebrown replied.

“It was a comedy bit! He would have done it no matter who won,” wrote @BSam2424.

Brunson spoke to the press in the winner’s room and praised Kimmel, showing that seemingly there were no hard feelings.

“I know Jimmy Kimmel. The bit didn’t bother me. Honestly, Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot, and 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,” Brunson said.

Many prominent people on Twitter still criticized Kimmel, with journalist Philip Lewis writing, “Jimmy Kimmel should have left the stage during Quinta’s speech. Highly disrespectful.”

Meanwhile, writer and comedian Crissle West tweeted: “Yall dragging jimmy kimmel and it’s what he deserves.”

TV writer and columnist Hunter Ingram also blamed the Emmy Awards show’s producers for deciding to cut Brunson off early. “The choice to make Quinta Brunson step over Jimmy Kimmel to get to the mic and then play her off early was atrocious,” he wrote.

George M Johnson, author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, said this wasn’t the first time the talk-show host had been part of race controversy at an awards show.

“Jimmy Kimmel was also part of the stolen moment from Moonlight winning the Oscar…” Johnson wrote.

“He also made sure to butcher Mahershala Ali’s name that same night too. Jimmy Kimmel has always given typical liberal racist,” wrote the author Clarkisha Kent, under her Twitter handle Arielisha is HEATED.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight after the Emmys, Kimmel said: “Because I had my eyes closed, I had no idea where I was. It was one of the weirdest things that has ever happened to me.” He has yet to speak about the social-media outcry.

Newsweek has reached out to Kimmel’s representatives for further comment.