10 Things About Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson
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Fans of "Abbott Elementary" might wonder why Quinta Brunson looks so familiar. Yes, she starred on "A Black Lady Sketch Show," but before her TV appearances, Brunson was internet famous. She created a series, "The Girl Who's Never Been On A Nice Date," from which several of the videos went viral. This led to Brunson becoming a meme, which led to her landing a pretty good gig at Buzzfeed. From there, Brunson created several series of her own, before striking gold with "Abbott Elementary," the show she produces, writes, and stars in. Her portrayal of the hopeful and slightly naïve second grade teacher Janine Teagues has won over both fans and critics alike.
Now she is on a winning streak, literally, having won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series in 2022 and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 2023. She was also named one of People's People of the Year in 2022 and one of Time's Most Influential People of 2022. And this feels like just the beginning for the West Philly native who dropped out of Temple University to pursue her comedy career. So, grab your coziest cardigan (it doesn't have to match your outfit) and settle in while we break down 10 facts about the fabulous Quinta Brunson.
How she got her name
Quinta Brunson is the youngest of five children, and her name reflects that, since Quinta means fifth in Spanish. "My name's really simple. I'm the fifth child, and my parents weren't necessarily creative, but I love it," she told People. "My siblings [brothers Kwei and Kalid and sisters Njia and Kiyana] all have real names that mean things, and they have a lot to live up to. My name is just a number, and I could decide it meant whatever I wanted."
Being the youngest in such a large family may be part of the reason Brunson was destined for stardom. She had plenty of practice being the center of attention at a very early age. Speaking to Essence about her family, she said, "They kind of looked at me for entertainment ... They peddled me around the house and around their friends and had me do little dances and little impersonations." We can imagine how adorable that was!
The women in her life who served as inspo for Abbott Elementary
Speaking of family, Quinta Brunson's sitcom "Abbott Elementary" might not exist if it hadn't been for the actor's mother who serves as inspiration for the show. "My mom was a teacher for 40 years in the Philadelphia school district. I was a Philadelphia public school student for most of my, you know, years," she told ABC. "I rode to school with her in the morning. I stayed with her after school ... I heard about every student and every decision the school district was making ..."
Brunson told Time that one of the show's character's, respected kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard, is somewhat based on her mom. And "Abbott" features at least one storyline that was directly lifted from her mother's own experience. It involves a student returning to the school with much praise for Mrs. Howard, only she doesn't recognize him at all. "He's a grown man because she's been teaching for years. That was ripped right from my mother's life. She was like, 'I'm gonna start needing a royalty check,'" Brunson said.
And then there is Brunson's former sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Abbott, for whom the show is named. Brunson told Time, "She was overjoyed, just so happy to hear from me. I'm like, 'You know, you inspired the name?' She burst out in tears. It turns out she's retiring this year, after so many years of phenomenal teaching, so she said this was a wonderful retirement gift." Truly so heartwarming!
Her least favorite job and the job she had to quit
Although it may seem as though Quinta Brunson is something like an overnight sensation, she had plenty of normal jobs while working toward her showbiz goals. She told AV Club her least favorite job was working at a mall store. "For no reason other than the menial tasks—it wasn't the people, the people were great—but American Eagle. Folding jeans. I don't like that kind of stuff. Also, when I was there, they were like, 'Sign up for a credit card! Sign up for an American Eagle credit card!' They encouraged us to do it, and it did nothing but f*** up my credit at a very young age."
There was also the time Brunson accidentally got a job as a phone sex operator. During an interview on "Late Night with Seth Myers," Brunson explained, "So I needed some money, because I was really broke, and I saw an opportunity on Craigslist for some voiceover work." Thinking it would be cool to voice a cartoon or something, Brunson was interested. "I was like, 'that sounds fun.' ... And they sent me my name and my name was Crystal, and they sent me a picture of who I was supposed to look like ..." That's when Brunson caught on. "...it was really gross, I couldn't get through it ... They said 'You will get paid a dollar a minute and I made $3 that day."
Fun fact, Brunson did end up voicing several cartoons, including characters on "Big Mouth," "Lazor Wulf," and "Magical Girl Friendship Squad."
Her early influences
While Quinta Brunson was a good student growing up, she did skip school from time to time. During an interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Brunson said that she'd occasionally stay home and watch movies instead of going to class. "I watched the same two movies over and over, 'Drumline' and 'Spider-man,' and I think they gave me a real love of the art of film ..." While we don't think Janine Teagues would approve of the truancy, we're glad Brunson was inspired.
In terms of developing her comedic sensibility, Brunson points to one of her favorite shows as a kid. She told AV Club, "'Even Stevens' is and was a big part of my comedic appreciation journey ... I was watching all these little kid comedies at the same time—'Lizzie McGuire,' 'That's So Raven,' 'Cheetah Girls,' blah, blah. But this show! I was like, 'This is heightened. This is taste.'"
There was also a certain movie that the actor loved, 2004's "Napoleon Dynamite." "I brought the DVD into the school and was like, 'We have to watch this,' to my teacher. Everyone's like, 'What is wrong with you?' Then we watch it once, and everyone's obsessed," Brunson told AV Club. "I think it was that [idea of] differentiating between, 'Okay, do I just love this or do I have taste with this?' Little things like that start to lead you to what your career could be."
She keeps her private life private (but she is happily married)
Unlike her character on "Abbott Elementary," Quinta Brunson is no longer navigating the awkward world of dating. Although she has been pretty hush-hush about her relationship, Brunson is married to sales manager Kevin Jay Anik. The couple became engaged in 2020, with Brunson making a short but sweet announcement via Instagram. In the post, she is posing with her lovely ring in full view and the caption reads, "More good news."
Since then, Brunson has mentioned Anik publicly in acceptance speeches at both the Emmys and the Golden Globes. In an interview with Oprah, she revealed, "My husband, that's what I mean by him being the biggest support, that there is no need to dim me at all." She added, "That allows me to love him fully and be the person that I want to be, and am meant to be." Brunson spoke about the importance of not having to tone down certain aspects of her personality to please someone else in a relationship. "...I'm fortunate to find a partner who I still feel I can be my full self with." We love this for her.
She grew up in a strict religious household
Quinta Brunson was raised in a Jehovah's Witness household, which means her upbringing was rather strict. And although she is no longer a member of the religion, she does believe it had its merits in her early life. "I just wasn't going to be able to be the person I wanted to be while being a Jehovah's Witness. But I have this relationship where I, weirdly, was grateful to grow up as one, because I do believe it kept me out of a lot of trouble as a kid ..." Brunson told NPR.
The actor discussed her beliefs in greater detail during her interview with Oprah. "I'm agnostic—my mom's gonna hate me, but I believe in people. I believe that God is in people," she explained. Brunson went on to express how her current beliefs tie into the heart of "Abbott Elementary." "Like, everyday people just trying their best is so moving to me. It makes me emotional. When someone gets themselves out of bed and goes to work and makes a difference for a person who is having a hard day, or just waves at a person—those are moments to me that are godlike."
Her cousin was a victim of gun violence
Quinta Brunson seems to have a very charmed life now, but growing up in West Philadelphia she was not immune to danger and strife. "I've lost classmates to [gun violence], family members, friends," she told Rolling Stone. Among the tragic losses was her cousin Tyrese, who was shot and killed while crossing the street.
It was a death that shook Brunson, but she was hesitant to talk about it at the time while living in LA. "... I was in the land of fun and sunshine. And for me, that experience felt very unique to living in Philadelphia, to being a young, Black woman from Philadelphia, even ... And gun violence, to me, just felt so specific to me and specific to home. And I didn't want to share that hurt with people who didn't understand it," the actor shared with NPR.
But Brunson eventually did become more vocal. She discussed with Rolling Stone how she approached West Philadelphia Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier on social media. "... I was like, 'Is anybody doing anything about this?' My cousin had just died, and I just was, at that point, mad. I was like, 'I'm simply tired of this. Is anyone even trying?'" In October 2020 Brunson and Councilwoman Gauthier held an Instagram Live to speak about gun violence and how it was affecting the community where Brunson grew up.
She wrote a book
In 2021, Quinta Brunson released her first book, a collection of personal essays called "She Memes Well." In the memoir, Brunson talks about everything from pop culture to mental health to how her family was affected by gun violence. Brunson, who was used to writing jokes, found the writing process to be a challenge. "... you turn things that happened to you into one-liners, into something to get a joke. But a book requires you to undo all the one-liners," she shared with The New York Times.
While being interviewed by Seth Rogen for Interview, Brunson spoke about the books that influenced her own writing, namely Tina Fey's "Bossypants," and Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" While Brunson said she often fell victim to procrastination while writing, she's happy with the feedback she's received from the book. "It's really nice to see people getting exactly what I intended to be gotten out of the book. That's a really nice feeling. It feels like it makes it all worth it."
Some life lessons from Ms. Brunson
Quinta Brunson's character on "Abbott Elementary" is a second grade teacher determined to guide her young students and impart them with wisdom. But what life lessons did Brunson herself learn while she was a student? When asked by Oprah, Brunson recalled a teacher who taught her something very important. "Oh, my teacher Mr. Connor. One kid called another kid a liar. And Mr. Connor got very upset. 'Don't call him a liar. A liar is who a person is. A lie is what someone did.' That stuck with me forever." We can totally see Ms. Teagues getting on board with that.
Sometimes wisdom comes from an unexpected source. Another valuable lesson Brunson learned was while working at the Apple store. "Something that stuck with me from that world was, if someone asks you a question and you don't know the answer to it, instead of making up an answer, you go, 'I don't know. Let's find out.' Part of the ethos of curiosity and creation is [that]," she told Rolling Stone.
How she's given back to the community
With "Abbott Elementary," Quinta Brunson has created something that families can watch together. The show is also a fantastic representation of a Black community that's full of heart but doesn't shy away from issues like financial hardship. Brunson is well aware of the difficulty both students and teachers face when schools are underfunded, so she chose to use her clout to give back to the community. Instead of using the money allocated for the show's marketing, Brunson and the network decided to do something different. "And we chose to put the marketing money toward supplies for teachers ..." Brunson said in her NPR interview, "and it's about being able to make those kinds of decisions that really excite me, things that can really materially help people."
Additionally, "Abbott Elementary" and ABC partnered with Scholastic to allow underfunded schools to hold free book fairs. Among the schools benefitting, is the elementary school Brunson herself attended, Harrity Elementary in West Philadelphia. ABC also launched a Traveling Teacher's Lounge, which donates books, school supplies, "Abbott Elementary" merch, and even breakfast to schools around the country (via Variety). Brunson retweeted a pic of the Lounge, and said "if you see this bus in your city, it means some teachers about to get some free supplies and #AbbottElemntary gifts." We love what Quinta Brunson is doing for schools, and we know Janine Teagues would be utterly beaming with pride!