Quinta Brunson

Quinta Brunson (; born December 21, 1989) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is the creator, executive producer and co-writer of the ABC comedy series Abbott Elementary (2021–present), in which she stars as second-grade teacher Janine Teagues. Brunson gained prominence in 2014 for her self-produced Instagram series Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date. She went on to produce and act in videos for BuzzFeed Video and developed two streaming series with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. At the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, she became the first Black woman to be nominated three times in the comedy category, receiving nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (which she won), Outstanding Comedy Series (as an executive producer), and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. At the 75th ceremony, she became the first Black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy in over 40 years. Brunson was honored with a 2022 Peabody Award for her work on Abbott Elementary. She was also placed on the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2022 list. Brunson has acted in the series iZombie, Single Parents, and Miracle Workers; provided voice work for Lazor Wulf and Magical Girl Friendship Squad; and starred in the first season of the HBO sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show. More recently, she has done voice work for The Simpsons, Zootopia 2, and Big Mouth.