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The Emmys Cut Off Sterling K. Brown's Heartfelt Speech So He Finally Finished It

The 'This Is Us' star delivered one of the best speeches of the night — backstage

This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown was shamefully cut off before he could finish accepting his Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 2017 Emmys on Sunday night. Sure, awards shows have a history of playing actors off the stage when they exceed their allotted time to accept their accolade, but when the first black actor in 19 years is onstage accepting his Emmy for lead actor in a drama series, maybe don't cut him off mid-speech?

Brown put up a good fight, opting to wait for the band to finish playing so that he could continue his speech, but to the dismay of those at home, the cameras panned back and his mic was eventually turned off. The decision to cut the two-time Emmy winner off was also met with boos from the audience.

Also, not for nothing, but Brown is one of the most charismatic men in Hollywood, and not only did he pay tribute to the men who "held this joint" before him, but he also celebrated the work of actor Andre Braugher, the last African-American actor who won the Emmy for lead actor in a drama series. Not cool, Emmys.

Luckily, Brown had the chance to finish his speech in the Emmy press room backstage. "I can't believe they cut me off before I got to thank my wife," the actor mused. (Last year, Brown memorably declared, "I got the hottest chick in the game rocking my chain," when he won the Emmy for his work in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.)

Here's the rest of Brown's incredible speech, as delivered backstage:

"I wanted to thank our writers. A show doesn't get seven acting nominations without some impeccable, beautiful, thoughtful writing. You guys are our life's blood, so I want to thank you so much. To our producers and directors, in particular, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, and the crazy cool Ken Olin. I thank you for your guidance and friendship. And I wanted to thank Dan Fogelman — he is 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, and in his own little small special way. 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. And to my wife, I can’t believe they cut me off before I got to thank my wife, Ryan Michelle Bathe. You’re everything. You make my life worth living. You gave me two of the most beautiful things that God has ever put on this planet: my sons Andrew Jason Sterling Brown and Amaré Michael Ryan Christian Brown. Your daddy loves you with the strength of a thousand suns. I’ll see you Monday after work."

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