Sterling K. Brown’s Historic Emmy Awards Acceptance Speech Is Cut Short — So He Continues It In The Press Room

Sterling K. Brown gave one of the most epic acceptance speeches in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, but viewers didn’t get to hear all of it. At the 69th annual ceremony, the This Is Us star became the first black actor to win the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category since 1998, but his lengthy speech was cut off by the dreaded Emmys music as CBS cut to a commercial.

Brown, who plays Randall Pearson on NBC’s This Is Us, started out by telling his fellow nominees, which included his TV dad Milo Ventimiglia, that he was a fan of all of them. Sterling then gave a shout-out to Andre Braugher, who was the last black man to win the coveted award nearly 20 years ago.

Sterling K, Brown called out iconic TV characters played by Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street), saying he was humbled to accept the same award that those actors had received in years past.

“When I think about it, Walter White held this joint. Dick Whitman held this joint. And 19 years ago, Detective Frank Pembleton held this joint,” Brown said of his trophy. “I just want to say, Mr. Braugher, whether it’s at Stanford University or on this Emmys stage, it is my supreme honor to follow in your footsteps.”

Brown also thanked his This Is Us cast mates, calling them “the best white TV family that a brother has ever had, better than the white folks who raised Webster.”

Too soon, though, Sterling K. Brown was cut short as music began to play, signaling the need for him to exit the stage. Brown noted that no one else got “the loud music,” and he continued to speak.

“You can play, you can play,” Sterling said. “Nobody got that loud music.”

As Brown continued his speech over the music, the camera panned the room and cut off the sound before cutting to commercial. You can watch Sterling K. Brown’s cut-off Emmy Awards speech below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtOFyOfe2T4

Many This Is Us fans were upset by the disrespectful end to Brown’s Emmy Awards speech. But after a thoughtful journalist asked the actor if he had more to say, Sterling K. Brown continued his acceptance speech in the press room after the ceremony, where he thanked the show’s writers, and producers and directors John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, and Ken Olin.

Brown also thanked This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, calling him “the Hebrew hammer with which our house was built.”

“He makes me laugh and cry in equal parts and keeps me coming back for more,” Brown said. “He’s not trying to make America great again, he’s trying to make it the best that it’s ever been and I love him for taking me on this journey.”

Sterling K. Brown concluded his backstage speech by thanking his manager and his wife, This Is Us guest star Ryan Michelle Bathe.

“You make my life worth living and you gave me two of the most beautiful things that God has ever put on this planet,” Sterling said of his wife, before sending a message to his kids.

“Your daddy loves you with the strength of 1000 suns. I’ll see you Monday after work. Thank you.”

Check out the rest of Sterling K. Brown’s Emmy Awards speech below.

Ahead of his win at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, Sterling K. Brown won the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series in 2016 for his work as prosecutor Christopher Darden on the FX mini-series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]