The actress received a standing ovation when she hit the Emmy Awards stage on Monday night.
Marla Gibbs showed everyone what it means to be a knockout on the Emmy Awards red carpet.
The Jeffersons and 227 star, 92, rocked a head-turning long-sleeve black velvet gown on Monday night’s carpet, complete with a train and dazzling jeweled embellishments.
The five-time Emmy nominee was on hand with Emmy winner Quinta Brunson of Abbott Elementary to present the award for supporting actress in a limited anthology series or movie, for which Annaleigh Ashford, Camila Morrone, Claire Danes, Juliette Lewis, Maria Bello, Merritt Wever and Niecy Nash-Betts were all nominated.
As the actresses took to the stage, Gibbs received a standing ovation from the crowd. Brunson said she was overwhelmed to be presenting alongside someone whose career has “literally spanned decades,” she said. Brunson, 34, then asked her the secret to staying in it for so long.
And Gibbs proved why she’s so good at what she does: She showed off her humor.
“That’s easy, baby: the wage gap,” she replied, to much laughter from the crowd. Gibbs continued by telling Brunson that she’d need to work “20 more years” before she can retire, but if the Abbott Elementary writer and star would create a role for her, it might just work out. She finished by quipping, “Black don’t crack!”
Gibbs was nominated for the Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series every year from 1981-1985 for her role in The Jeffersons. She starred in the iconic series as the no-nonsense maid Florence Johnston alongside Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley.
The actress received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021 — and made a style statement while doing so then, too. She wore a flowy red floral dress for the occasion, and the only thing part of her look that stood out more than her dress was the bright smile on her face.
