'Abbott Elementary' star Janelle James explains she was 'drunk' when she interrupted costar Sheryl Lee Ralph at the Golden Globes: 'I mean, what else? Free drinks!'

• Janelle James says she was drunk when she interrupted Sheryl Lee Ralph onstage at the Golden Globes.
• A relative Hollywood newcomer, James was previously a fixture on the stand-up comedy circuit.

There's a good reason "Abbott Elementary" star Janelle James interrupted Sheryl Lee Ralph during the cast's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes in January. As the actor explained recently on "The Jennifer Hudson Show," she was drunk.

"First of all, I was drunk," she told Hudson.

"Oh, you had a good time!" Hudson responded.

"I mean, what else?" James said. "Free drinks! I had been texting with my mom, so I was like, 'I'm going to talk to my mom.' Not to be disrespectful to Miss Sheryl Lee Ralph."

James interrupted Ralph while Quinta Brunson and members of the "Abbott Elementary" cast accepted the Golden Globe for best comedy series.

"I love you, Mom!" James said into the microphone as Ralph began to thank viewers for their support.

"We all saw Sheryl was gearing up," James said through laughs.

While James said she was "new to Hollywood," having mostly voiced several characters in the Apple TV+ series "Central Park" and making appearances in shows like "Black Monday" and "Crashing" before "Abbott Elementary" came along, James had been a fixture on the stand-up comedy circuit since 2009. She eventually toured with Chris Rock as an opening act on his Total Blackout tour, as well as Amy Schumer's "Growing" tour.

After reading the script for the pilot of "Abbott Elementary," she messaged Quinta Brunson about auditioning.

"I DMed Quinta, who I had only met one time before and I was like, 'I read your pilot, it's really good, I think I'm going to try to audition,'" James recalled. "And she was like, 'I didn't know you act!' and I was like, 'I don't know if I do either, but I'm gonna try!'"

Since the premiere of "Abbott Elementary" in December 2021, James has made a huge impression on viewers and earned Emmy, Golden Globes, and SAG Award nominations for her hilarious portrayal of Ava Coleman, the school's principal.