Quinta Brunson Can Do 'Any Type of Television.' With Her Platform, She’s Planning to Try.
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Quinta Brunson, the creator, actress, and mastermind behind the hit sitcom Abbott Elementary, seems to reside atop a boundless well of good ideas. Her critically acclaimed, audience-adored series, now in its third season, is one of ABC’s biggest success stories in recent memory. With Abbott’s meteoric rise came Brunson’s adjacent ascent, from 2010s meme-maker to modern Hollywood titan. In 2022, the West Philadelphia native signed a multiyear deal with Warner Bros. Television to develop future shows, and this year, she made history at the Emmys as the first Black woman to win the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in more than 40 years (and only the second Black woman to win the award since its inception), all while shepherding Abbott’s influence in the lives of real-life teachers and students. Since its premiere, the sitcom has used part of its budget each season to supplement teachers’ incomes, host free book fairs, and donate school supplies in cities across the U.S.—all efforts Brunson considers “part of the DNA of us starting a new season.” Where does she find the energy? “I recently watched an episode [of Abbott]—our fifth of this season,” she says. “And I mean, I was in my dressing room genuinely cracking up, having fun watching TV. That feeling is what keeps me going, and my love for the show that we’re making.”
But as her series’ storylines continue to spark overdue conversations about education—the implicit bias of gifted programs, the funding of charter schools, the gamification of teacher “wish lists”—Brunson is thinking hard about her impact. As a Black woman headlining a show about “an underfunded public school in a primarily Black community with predominantly women [in that] space,” she says, she believes that her advocacy and her art, what she represents and who she is, are inextricably tied. “I think a lot of us wish they weren’t, but they are,” Brunson adds.
She’s learned how to say what she wants to say, and how to protect herself when she doesn’t want to say anything at all. “I’m responsible for the employment of many, many people,” she explains. “I can’t just do whatever I want anymore. I’m excited when I see people who can do and say whatever they want. And that’s the importance of continuing to open doors for newcomers, who have more room and freedom because of the work that was put in by the people before them.”
When the time comes, she hopes to finish Abbott strong.“When I first started, I was like, ‘Yeah, 10 seasons,’” she says.“Now I’m like, ‘We’ll see about that.’ That would be a blessing. But also, this is a lot of work. I want to make sure, no matter what, I get to worry not about the numbers or the money, but what kind of story we are telling and feeling when it’s time for the story to come to a close.” And when she’s ready to say what needs to be said next, she’s confident she’ll have the tools to do so. “With all that I’ve learned, I feel like I can now do any type of television,” she says. “For womankind, for Black womankind, for people to take risks and take chances—I think that’s really what pushes things forward in life. So I hope that will be my impact.”
On her idea of success
“Even before Abbott, my idea of success was pretty similar to what it is now. Now I dream of more sleep. I think success is being able to both work and have all the sleep you need. That, to me, sounds like a dream. I’m working toward that.”
On producing
“I’m really excited to produce friends of mine who have projects that I adore and think should be on television or film. I’m kind of going into that leg of things—what that will look like for me while I’m still making Abbott. But I know people who have really cool projects and, if I can aid in helping them make it to television at all, I’d like to be a part of that. I love when I have people I know who make something, and I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s a good idea.’ Or, ‘Damn, I wish I thought of that, or was a part of that.’ My ability to produce now is there because of my deal under Warner Bros., so that’s exciting to me to be part of getting friends’ projects off the ground.”
On making mistakes
“I own everything, even mistakes, because I think you learn from those. I think that we’re all complex characters, and we have to forgive ourselves. We have to own our own humanity by not regretting everything we do, unless we have been extremely harmful to someone or hurtful to someone or done something violent. I think we have to give ourselves room to make the human mistakes that everyone else makes.”
On the projects she hopes to do next
“I think you learn a lot by having a show that’s a success: what it takes to maintain it, and what kind of creator you actually are, and what kind of boss or manager or showrunner you want to be. And you learn a lot about integrity, keeping things moving. I don’t think I have anything to prove, per se, but I would like to make more things, whether it be TV or film or books or whatever. I’m itching to use a different side of my pen.”
A version of this article appears in the April 2024 issue of ELLE.
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