Quinta Brunson (born December 21, 1989) is an American writer, producer, actress, and comedian best known for creating, executive producing, co-writing, and starring in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

comedy series ''

Abbott Elementary ''Abbott Elementary'' is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as a second-grade teacher at Abbott Elementary, a fictional predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. The ensembl ...

'' (2021–present). Brunson gained prominence for her self-produced Instagram series ''Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date''. She went on to produce and act in content for BuzzFeed Video, and developed two streaming series with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. At the

74th Primetime Emmy Awards The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2021, until May 31, 2022, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). The awards ceremony was held live on September 1 ...

, she became the first Black woman to be nominated three times in the comedy category, receiving nominations for: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (which she won), Outstanding Comedy Series (as an executive producer), and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Brunson was placed on the

Time 100 ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, ...

Most Influential People of 2022 list. Brunson has acted in the series '' iZombie'', ''

Single Parents A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wi ...

'', and ''

Miracle Workers A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

''; provided voice work for ''

Lazor Wulf ''Lazor Wulf'' is an American adult-animated television series produced by Williams Street for Adult Swim that premiered on April 8, 2019. Originating as a webcomic on Tumblr in 2013, it is directed by creator Henry Bonsu, with Daniel Weidenfeld ...

'' and '' Magical Girl Friendship Squad''; and starred in the first season of the HBO sketch comedy series '' A Black Lady Sketch Show''.

Early life and education

Brunson was born and raised in

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...

. Her name means "fifth" in Spanish and signifies that she is youngest of five children. Her mother, Norma Jean Brunson, taught kindergarten. She was raised a

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

. She has described herself as "obsessed" with comedy from the time she attended the Charter High School for Architecture & Design, and nurtured her interest by taking an improv class. Brunson attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

and took classes at Second City in Chicago her sophomore year. She dropped out of school shortly after to pursue a career in comedy.

Career

2014–2017: Instagram and Buzzfeed

Brunson originally garnered fans online by posting comedic videos to her Instagram in 2014. In particular, her ''Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date'' series went viral and grew her digital fan base. She then worked as a video producer for BuzzFeed Video after first freelancing for the company. Her videos primarily focused on problems experienced by twenty-somethings. In 2016, Brunson sold two web series as a development partner with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures: one scripted comedy called '' Broke'' for

Youtube Red YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is a subscription service offered by the video platform YouTube. The service provides ad-free access to content across the service, as well as access to premium YouTube Originals programming ...

, which she wrote, produced, and starred in; the second, ''Up for Adoption'', was produced by

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...

go90 go90 was an American Internet television service and mobile app owned and operated by Verizon Communications. The service was positioned as a mobile-oriented "social entertainment platform" targeted primarily towards millennials, featuring a m ...

video platform, which she also starred in. Brunson's performance in ''Broke'' was nominated for Best Acting in a Comedy at the

Streamy Awards The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...

in 2017.

2018–present: ''A Black Lady Sketch Show'' and ''Abbott Elementary''

Shortly after Brunson left BuzzFeed in 2018, she co-starred in her first network pilot, the CW pilot ''The End of the World as We Know It'', but the show was not picked up by the network. She also wrote and produced a series called ''Quinta vs. Everything'' that streamed on

Facebook Watch Facebook Watch is a video on demand service operated by American company Meta Platforms (previously named Facebook, Inc.). The company announced the service in August 2017 and was available to all U.S. users that month. Facebook Watch's original ...

from 2017 to 2018. On October 4, 2018, it was announced that a pilot co-produced by Brunson,

Larry Wilmore Elister Larry WilmoreThe name Elister L. Wilmore is given at This matches the birth date and birthplace for "Larry Wilmore" at (born October 30, 1961) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actor. He served as the "Senior Black Corresp ...

, and

Jermaine Fowler Jermaine Fowler is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is perhaps best known for his role as King Akeem Joffer's long-lost son Lavelle Junson in the 2021 romantic comedy film ''Coming 2 America'' and Franco Wicks on the CBS sit ...

would be developed by CBS into a multi-cam comedy called ''Quinta & Jermaine''. The pilot would star Fowler and Brunson as longtime friends who must deal with an unplanned pregnancy; however, the show was not picked up. In 2019, she appeared as Dr. Charli Collier and her twin sister, Laila, on the supernatural comedy-drama series '' iZombie'', and also voiced multiple characters in the animated series ''

''. That fall, Brunson began to co-star and write in the HBO sketch comedy series '' A Black Lady Sketch Show'', alongside

Robin Thede Robin Thede ( ) is an American comedian, actress and writer. Raised in Iowa, she has also worked as an entertainment correspondent, host, and radio personality. In 2015, she became the first African-American woman to be head writer for a late- ...

, Gabrielle Dennis, and Ashley Nicole Black; but she left the second season due to scheduling conflicts. In 2020, Brunson co-starred in the Syfy animated series '' Magical Girl Friendship Squad'', opposite Anna Akana. In 2021, Brunson appeared in a recurring role on the third season of ''

'', and in June, her debut book, ''She Memes Well'', a collection of essays about her personal life and career, was released. Brunson's single-camera pilot (previously titled ''Harrity Elementary'') was picked up by

with the new title ''

'' in May 2021. Brunson is also the writer, co-executive producer, and stars with

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in the 1977 comedy film '' A Piece of the Action'', before landing the role of Deena Jones in the Broadway musical '' Dreamgirls'' (1981), for which she received ...

, Lisa Ann Walter,

Chris Perfetti Chris Perfetti (born December 12, 1988) is an American actor. He currently portrays Jacob Hill on the ABC comedy ''Abbott Elementary'', for which he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award. His other roles include Tim Fletch on the NBC series ...

Tyler James Williams Tyler James Williams (born October 9, 1992) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, making several appearances on ''Saturday Night Live'', ''Little Bill'', and ''Sesame Street''. Williams later rose to prominence for playing ...

, and

Janelle James Janelle James is an American comedian, actress, and writer. She is best known for her role as Ava Coleman in the television series ''Abbott Elementary'', for which she won a Black Reel Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an NAACP Image Awa ...

. The series premiered on December 7, 2021 and received critical acclaim. It holds a 97% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 38 critics' reviews. Brunson received praise for bringing a fresh approach to network television with ''Abbott Elementary'', named after her real-life former middle school teacher, Ms. Abbott. For the show's first season she was named to ''Time'''s 100 Most Influential People of 2022. In July 2022, Brunson and ABC were sued by writer Christine Davis in a copyright infringement case. In September 2022, Brunson won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing For a Comedy Series for the show, making her the first black woman to win that award solo. Brunson has a guest starring role on the upcoming ''

Party Down ''Party Down'' is an American sitcom created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States in 2009 and 2010. The series follows a group of caterers in Los Ang ...

'' revival series. In August 2022, Brunson signed a multi-year overall deal with

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

, the co-production studio of her show, ''Abbott Elementary.''

Personal life

Brunson married sales manager Kevin Jay Anik in September 2021.

Accolades

* 2022 – ''Time'' 100 Most Influential People * 2022 – Philadelphia City Council resolution honoring Brunson for her creation of ''Abbott Elementary'' * 2022 – ''The Hollywood Reporter''s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list

Filmography

Music videos

Television

Film

Bibliography

* ''She Memes Well'', Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, publication date June 15, 2021,

Awards and nominations

, Best Writing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy , rowspan="2" , ''Abbott Elementary'' (for "Pilot") , , - ,

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

, Comedy Teleplay , , , - , rowspan="2" , Primetime Emmy Awards , Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series , ''Abbott Elementary'' , , rowspan="2" , , - , Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series , ''Abbott Elementary'' (for "Pilot") , , - , rowspan="4" ,

TCA Awards The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer towards the end of the organization's summer press tour. Due to ...

, Program of the Year , rowspan="13" , ''Abbott Elementary'' , , rowspan="4" , , - , Outstanding Achievement in Comedy , , - , Outstanding New Program , , - , Individual Achievement in Comedy , , - , rowspan="16" , 2023 , rowspan="2" ,

Critics' Choice Television Awards The Critics' Choice Television Awards are accolades that are presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fourt ...

, Best Actress in a Comedy Series , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best Comedy Series , , - , rowspan="2" , Golden Globe Awards , Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy , , - , rowspan="2" , Independent Spirit Awards , Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best New Scripted Series , , - , rowspan="5" ,

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

, Outstanding Comedy Series , , rowspan="5" , , - , Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series , , - , Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television) , , - , Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series , ''Abbott Elementary'' , , - , Entertainer of the Year , N/A , , - , Satellite Awards , Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Series , rowspan="5" , ''Abbott Elementary'' , , , - , rowspan="2" , Screen Actors Guild Awards , Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series , , rowspan="2" , , - , Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series , , - , rowspan="2" ,

Writers Guild of America Awards The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility T ...

Comedy Series Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first United States television ...

, , rowspan="2" , , - , New Series ,

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brunson, Quinta 1989 births Living people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American screenwriters Actresses from Philadelphia African-American actresses African-American female comedians African-American screenwriters African-American television producers American producers American sketch comedians American television actresses American voice actresses American women comedians American women screenwriters Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners BuzzFeed people Comedians from Pennsylvania Entertainers from Pennsylvania Primetime Emmy Award winners Temple University alumni