Quinta Brunson

Brunson originally garnered fans online by posting comedic videos to her Instagram in 2014.[12] In particular, her Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date series went viral and grew her digital fan base.[12][13][14] She then worked as a video producer for BuzzFeed Video after first freelancing for the company.[15] Her videos primarily focused on problems experienced by twenty-somethings.[16]

In 2016, Brunson sold two web series as a development partner with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures:[17] one scripted comedy called Broke for Youtube Red, which she wrote, produced, and starred in;[4][18] the second, Up for Adoption, was produced by Verizon's go90 video platform, which she also starred in.[13] Brunson's performance in Broke was nominated for Best Acting in a Comedy at the Streamy Awards in 2017.[19]

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,[5] 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 from 2017 to 2018.[11][14] On October 4, 2018, it was announced that a pilot co-produced by Brunson, Larry Wilmore, and Jermaine Fowler would be developed by CBS into a multi-cam comedy called Quinta & Jermaine.[6] The pilot would star Fowler and Brunson as longtime friends who must deal with an unplanned pregnancy; however, the show was not picked up.[20]

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 Lazor Wulf.[21] That fall, Brunson began to co-star and write in the HBO sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show, alongside Robin Thede, Gabrielle Dennis, and Ashley Nicole Black;[22] but she left the second season due to scheduling conflicts.[23] In 2020, Brunson co-starred in the Syfy animated series Magical Girl Friendship Squad, opposite Anna Akana.[24]

In 2021, Brunson appeared in a recurring role on the third season of Miracle Workers,[25] and in June, her debut book, She Memes Well, a collection of essays about her personal life and career, was released.[26]

Brunson's single-camera pilot (previously titled Harrity Elementary) was picked up by ABC with the new title Abbott Elementary in May 2021.[27][28] Brunson is also the writer, co-executive producer, and stars with Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Tyler James Williams, and Janelle James.[25] The series premiered on December 7, 2021 and received critical acclaim.[29] It holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 critics' reviews.[30] Brunson received praise for bringing a fresh approach to network television with Abbott Elementary,[31][32] named after her real-life former middle school teacher, Ms. Abbott.[33] For the show's first season she was named to Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2022.[34] In July 2022, Brunson and ABC were sued by writer Christine Davis in a copyright infringement case.[35] 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.[36]

In August 2022, Brunson signed a multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, the co-production studio of her show, Abbott Elementary.[37]

Brunson has a guest starring role on the Party Down revival series.[38] In 2023, she made her Saturday Night Live hosting debut.[39]