QUINTA BRUNSON: AMERICA’S NEWEST ‘IT’ GIRL

She’s made the 100 Most Influential People of 2022 TIME list. She took part in this season’s Envelope Emmys Roundtable as one of five showrunners. And her sitcom mockumentary

Abbott Elementary has topped all the charts!

Hollywood’s newest It girl has hit the scene, and hard! Quinta Brunson is here, and she is here to stay.

She’s brought a hit sitcom back to network television after a long hiatus, with viewership not seen since Modern Family. The show has shot into the stratosphere, a juggernaut for ABC, propelled by not only being hilarious as series star Janine Teagues, but by being supported by a tight and talented cast, and with tremendous social media support. During Abbott’s opening season, Twitter parties full of custom memes and gifs have abounded. Quinta, the creator and showrunner, attributes wanting to bring a certain type of entertainment, as well as entertaining her parents, as inspiration.

“For ‘Abbott,’ which I knew I wanted to go to network television, I was thinking of … my mom and dad,” said Brunson. “They’re not critics. They just enjoy TV, and that’s my favorite type of person. My mom and dad don’t have much to say other than, ‘I’m having a good time,’ or ‘I’m not.’ And then they change the channel. But there’s nothing else to be said. That’s kind of my favorite TV viewer.”

Quinta’s show is bringing diversity and Blackness back to the small screen. Abbott Elementary showcases a different kind of comedy, reviving the docu-series style that The Office made so popular.

And when it comes to makeup, Quinta sticks to her Philly roots:

“In Philly, growing up, and I think still, it’s a big lip gloss city. Girls will not wear lipstick, but they will wear lip gloss all the livelong day. I’m still like that to this day. I don’t really like lipstick, but I love a good gloss. Sometimes that’s a little corner store gloss. Sometimes it’s a super hyper-expensive brand. If I had to hone in on a staple of things from Philly, [glossy lips] would be one.”

And her go-to makeup routine?

“It’s super simple. I will put on a nice moisturizer. The line, Belif, they have a moisturizer I like a lot called [The True Cream Moisturizing Balm]. It’s really good. Then if it’s a simple day, I’ll honestly use the Glossier [Stretch] concealer]. They have a great concealer and they have the [Perfecting Skin Tint] that I’ll also use. Then a simple gloss. And honestly — I mean this must be one big Glossier ad — they have a blush that I really love, the Cloud Paint. Love that blush.”

Quinta is an inspiration to Black women, Black girls, comedians, and just about anyone at this point. This is Black excellence at its best, and sitcom comedy at its finest.

Season 2 of Abbott Elementary was greenlit back in March ‘22, returning to ABC.

By: Jill Robi