Quinta Brunson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Quinta Brunson
Brunson in 2023
Born	(1989-12-21) December 21, 1989 (age 35) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Temple University
Occupation	Actress comedian writer producer
Years active	2014–present
Notable work	Abbott Elementary
Spouse(s)	Kevin Anik ​ ​ (m. 2021; sep 2025)​

Quinta Brunson (born December 21, 1989) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is well-known for creating, producing, and starring in the TV comedy series Abbott Elementary. In the show, she plays Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher.

Quinta first became popular in 2014 with her online series Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date. She later worked for BuzzFeed Video, creating and acting in many videos. She also developed two streaming shows with BuzzFeed.

Quinta has won many awards for her work. At the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, she was the first Black woman to get three nominations in comedy categories. She won for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. At the 75th Emmy Awards, she made history again. She became the first Black woman in over 40 years to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Abbott Elementary also received a Peabody Award. In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People.

Quinta has also acted in other TV shows like iZombie, Single Parents, and Miracle Workers. She has lent her voice to animated series such as Lazor Wulf and Magical Girl Friendship Squad. She also starred in the first season of the HBO comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show.

Early Life and Education

Quinta Brunson grew up in West Philadelphia. She went to Harrity Elementary School. Her name, "Quinta," means "fifth" in Spanish. This is because she is the youngest of five children. Her mother, Norma Jean, was a kindergarten teacher. Her father, Rick, managed parking lots.

Quinta loved comedy from a young age. She attended the Charter High School for Architecture & Design in Philadelphia. To learn more about comedy, she took an improv class. She later went to Temple University. During her second year, she took classes at The Second City in Chicago. Soon after, she left college to move to Los Angeles. There, she wanted to start a career in comedy. In 2024, Temple University gave her an honorary degree in Fine Arts.

Career Highlights

2014–2017: Online Success with Instagram and BuzzFeed

Quinta Brunson first gained fans by sharing funny videos on her Instagram in 2014. Her series Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date became very popular. This helped her gain a large online following.

After freelancing, she became a video producer for BuzzFeed Video. Her videos often focused on everyday problems faced by young adults.

In 2016, Quinta sold two web series. She worked with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures as a development partner. One show was a comedy called Broke for YouTube Red. She wrote, produced, and starred in it. The second show, Up for Adoption, was for Verizon's go90 platform. She also starred in this series. For her role in Broke, Quinta was nominated for Best Acting in a Comedy at the Streamy Awards in 2017.

2018–Present: A Black Lady Sketch Show and Abbott Elementary

After leaving BuzzFeed in 2018, Quinta acted in a TV pilot called The End of the World as We Know It. However, the show was not picked up by the network. She also created and produced a series called Quinta vs. Everything. This show streamed on Facebook Watch from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, it was announced that CBS would develop a comedy pilot called Quinta & Jermaine. Quinta co-produced and was set to star in it, but the show was not made.

In 2019, she appeared in the show iZombie. She also voiced characters in the animated series Lazor Wulf. That fall, Quinta began to star in and write for the HBO comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show. She left the show after the first season due to other work commitments. In 2020, Quinta also voiced a main character in the animated series Magical Girl Friendship Squad.

In 2021, Quinta had a recurring role in the third season of Miracle Workers. In June 2021, her first book, She Memes Well, was released. It is a collection of essays about her life and career.

Quinta's TV pilot, originally named Harrity Elementary after her old school, was picked up by ABC. It was renamed Abbott Elementary and premiered on December 7, 2021. Quinta is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the show. She also stars in it alongside Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, and Tyler James Williams. The series has received great reviews. As of October 2024, it has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Quinta has been praised for bringing a fresh style to network television with Abbott Elementary. The show is named after her real-life former middle school teacher, Ms. Abbott.

In September 2022, Quinta won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing For a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary. This made her the first Black woman to win that award by herself. The series also won a Peabody Award in 2023.

In August 2022, Quinta signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television. This studio co-produces Abbott Elementary.

Quinta had a guest role on the Party Down revival series. In April 2023, she hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time. During the 2023 Met Gala, she spoke out in support of the writers strike.

In 2023, Quinta won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Janine Teagues on Abbott Elementary. This made her only the second Black actress to win in this category. Isabel Sanford won it in 1981 for The Jeffersons. That same year, Ayo Edebiri won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. This was the first time two Black actresses won both female comedy acting Emmys in the same year.

Personal Life

Quinta Brunson was married to Kevin Jay Anik. They lived in the San Fernando Valley. She shared a photo of her engagement ring in 2020. She confirmed her marriage in her 2022 Emmys speech. On March 20, 2025, Quinta announced she had filed for divorce.

Political Activism

In October 2023, Quinta Brunson signed an open letter from Artists4Ceasefire. This letter called for an end to the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Accolades

• 2022 – Time 100 Most Influential People
• 2022 – Philadelphia City Council honored Brunson for creating Abbott Elementary
• 2022 – The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 list
• 2022 – Peabody Award as the creator of Abbott Elementary
• 2023 – University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education commencement speaker
• 2024 – Temple University honorary degree and commencement speaker
• 2024 – Peabody Trailblazer Award
• 2025 – Brunson receives key to the City of Philadelphia

Book

• 2021. She Memes Well: Essays. HarperCollins. Published June 15, 2021. ISBN: 9781328637079

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film Roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2020	An American Pickle	Female Interviewee
2021	As of Yet	Lyssa
2022	Weird: The Al Yankovic Story	Oprah Winfrey
2024	A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter	Herself
2024	Golden	N/A	Unreleased
2025	Zootopia 2	Dr. Fuzzby	Voice, In production
2026	The Cat in the Hat	Sherri	Voice, In production

Television Roles

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Quinta Brunson para niños