She got famous through her memes.
Now she has created the most charming show of the winter.
Abbott Elementaryairs Tuesdays on ABC.
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Most people knowQuinta Brunsonas the Girl Whos Never Been on a Nice Date or the BuzzFeed Meme Girl.
I love that for her!
unaware that she is also the shows creator, writer, and executive producer.
I think its cool!
she tells me, flashing her famous, meme-worthy smile.
Its centered on Brunsons character, Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher doing her best.
Mindy Kaling tweeted her seal of approval.
Im shocked, Brunson says of the shows popularity.
The world ofAbbott Elementaryis rooted in Brunsons own life.
She grew up in the West Philadelphia school system, where her mother was a kindergarten teacher.
(The series is named for Brunsons middle-school teacher Ms. One of her teachers, Shelly Gossman, encouraged her to take the writing course.
Then Gossman offered to pay for her class.
No one had ever given me money to do something I was good at before!
Brunson spent a few years honing her comedy and stand-up skills.
Her first hit, The Girl Whos Never Been on a Nice Date,was a self-produced Instagram series.
Her character-driven sketches spotlighted her ability to world-build and, most important, to nail a punch line.
Around 2016, Brunson started making shows for many of them.
I was cutting my teeth on what it took to create television shows, she says.
I didnt formally go to school for this, so it was like on-the-job training.
She co-created a pilot with comedian Jermaine Fowler that CBS put into development.
TitledQuinta & Jermaine,the show was about two friends dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.
Brunson credits Wilmore for teaching her the beats of connection TV.
I came to that project super-green, she says.
My understanding of television structure completely came from Larry.
If I didnt work with him, I wouldnt have been able to createAbbott.
Like Brunsons work, Thedes sought to break down the idea that Black women are a monolith.
Brunson started writing the pilot forAbbott Elementaryin 2020.
But she saw the online grid-sitcom form as uniquely suited to creating new, lasting archetypes for Black characters.
Its TV for everyone, she says.
Part of my goal was TV that could bring a 14-year-old and a 98-year-old together to watch it.
Im hearing that about moms and grandmothers and kids, and it warms my heart.
(She is doing her best at Target, says Brunson.)
She dates a wannabe rapper (Zack Fox) while her colleague Gregory secretly pines for her.
Its accurate to the world of a school like Abbott.
Itd be weird to see Janine randomly dating some white guy.
We were excited to show this cute hometown romance that reminded us of our families.
I simply refuse to entertain it, Brunson says.
Thats just not the way I make things.
And if thats what I was asked to make, I just wouldnt have made it.
The character is like Michael Scott and Creed fromThe Officewith a Tiffany Haddish twist.
She has become a fan favorite, instantly quotable in memes and gifs.
I chuckle about it.
Its really cool to have a controversial character on shows right now.
Im putting her in the same category as Shiv Roy.
I believe its part of the fabric of a sitcom to introduce you to new people, Brunson says.
She hopesAbbott Elementarywill launch a new generation of Black comedic talent whose credentials will now be Googled.
If youre a mom, though, she adds, yo dont Google Zack Fox.
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