How "Abbott Elementary" Star Quinta Brunson Started As A Viral Meme And Became TV's Next Big Powerhouse

Writer, actor, comedian, showrunner, published author, and meme queen.

Quinta Brunson is having a moment, and you probably already knew that. The Abbott Elementary creator and star has delivered ABC's current biggest hit series — it's loved by many, and it's only halfway through its first season.

Instagram: @quintab

Her hometown of Philadelphia even passed a resolution to honor the multi-hyphenate for her creation of the show, which has been praised for its refreshing portrayal of educators. 

So it's not a stretch to say that Quinta's not just having a moment. She's making an impact.

Her success might seem like it's coming all at once, but those of us who are more internet-acquainted know the truth: Quinta's been a staple of pop culture for a long time now.

ABC

Quinta's had quite the come-up, so to celebrate the mogul finally getting her dues, here's a walkthrough of her inspiring journey from "internet meme" to "network TV queen":

1. First, she was a meme. "Oooh, he got money!" It was an exclamation heard across the internet that was quickly loved and widely shared back in 2014. The viral video was Quinta's first (but definitely not last) taste of internet fame.

Quinta B / Via youtube.com

Shortly after Quinta dropped this iconic 15-second sketch on Instagram, her life changed. She revealed in her memoir, She Memes Well, that her follower count skyrocketed after posting the video, and she was able to leave her day job at the Apple store for the second (and last) time to pursue comedy full-time — her original goal of moving to Los Angeles.

2. Off the success of her sketch character, Quinta landed a residency with BuzzFeed and produced "The Actual Scariest Things on Earth," her first-ever video for the then-new video branch of the company.

BuzzFeed / Via youtube.com

After three months of working in her residency, she interviewed for a longer-term position. "I have a vision for BuzzFeed Video," she said in her interview, as retold in her memoir. "I see a world where these videos are serialized. Where we write characters and storylines that people will follow, much like they follow TV characters." She got the job.

3. Quinta's impact at BuzzFeed was almost instant. She wrote, produced, and starred in many sketches that mused on all kinds of topics, such as what relationships are like after the honeymoon phase, being the only Black friend, and the advantages of being short, from 2014–2018.

BuzzFeed / Via YouTube

Her comedic timing, straightforward perspective, and infectious energy made her a fan favorite.

4. While at BuzzFeed, she also pitched and sold three short-form series to different outside platforms: the animal shelter mockumentary sitcom Up for Adoption for the (now-defunct) Go90 platform, slice-of-life series Broke to YouTube Red, and sketch comedy show Quinta vs. Everything to Facebook.

YouTube / Facebook

Quinta was booked, busy, and building up her show portfolio with these three series long before she graduated to working with ABC. All three shows had their own flair of Quinta's style, and her different point-of-views of the world.

Up for Adoption was Quinta's first venture into workplace comedy, and the show took on a mockumentary approach in the vein of The Office (which eventually carried into Abbott Elementary). Broke was a tribute to Black friendship, as well as her own penniless experiences as she came up in Los Angeles. And Quinta vs. Everything morphed her hot takes on just about every topic into three 3-minute sketches per episode.

5. She kept her stand-up skills sharp while working her full-time job and performed more regularly toward the end of her time with BuzzFeed, doing sets at iconic comedy venues like The Laugh Factory.

Laugh Factory / BuzzFeed

You can watch another clip of her Laugh Factory set here. And if you're craving even more of her stand-up, this one's another of my favorite clips. 

6. Quinta's not just a comedian, either. She's also a lecturer. Her inspiring presentation tracked her journey of beginning to consume media with a critical eye, rather than allowing it to continue influencing her to feel like she wasn't enough. Doing so encouraged her to explore her own perspectives of the world and how she could push those out into the world to influence positive change — a foundation of all the work she's shared so far.

TEDx Talks / Via youtube.com

It's easy to see the ideas she brings up in her TED talk "I Like Myself, America and You Can't Stop Me" drove her to eventually create Abbott Elementary — it's a fun TV show, sure, but it also carries an important message about how we prioritize funding public education in the US.

It's beautiful to see Quinta share what she's learned so far in her journey up to that point and how quick she is to encourage other diverse voices to also share their perspectives with the world. Cool, so she's a motivational speaker too. 

7. After leaving her full-time job to focus on her own creative pursuits, Quinta went on to write for the Adult Swim animated series Lazor Wulf and voiced one of the major characters, Blazor Wulf. She later returned to voice acting for the hit Netflix animated show Big Mouth.

Adult Swim / Netflix

Lazor Wulf indulged in its trippy animation style and favored world-building with eccentric characters (laser-carrying wolves) over traditional plot in its two-season run. Quinta brought even more bite to Big Mouth as Misty's spirited older cousin.

8. Quinta even guest-starred on a few live-action shows, like iZombie, ABC's Single Parents, and even New Girl.

Netflix

9. Prior to her Abbot Elementary debut, Quinta really got to show off her acting skills and natural knack for comedy in the Emmy-nominated sketch series A Black Lady Sketch Show.

HBO Max

If there were ever any doubts about Quinta's range as an actor, she put those to rest when she nailed her performances of an impressive range of characters in the first season of HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show. Her memorable roles include a modern-day Juliet whose loyalty to Cardi is compromised when she falls for a Nicki stan, as well as a lawyer who is too smitten with the all-Black lady courtroom she's stepped in to take the trial seriously.

The series attracted a lot of well-deserved fanfare, and Quinta's contributions created a lot of buzz for herself. She did not return for the show's second season, understandably, since she shifted her focus to another project that she'd sold to ABC.

10. Quinta added another title to her already impressive arsenal of roles as an actor, producer, writer, and showrunner: author. Her memoir, She Memes Well, takes us through her personal journey of moving to Los Angeles from Philadelphia with a dream to entertain. It's an incredibly inspiring book that will resonate with everyone, but it hits extra hard for other millennials pursuing a career in entertainment.

Instagram: @quintab

She Memes Well catalogues Quinta's unorthodox path from being an ambitious Apple store employee in Philadelphia to a struggling artist in Los Angeles, to becoming a viral meme, and eventually transforming her internet fame into a career as a traditional actor, writer, and creator. Now, she has money.

She also makes several meaningful pit stops along that journey, with deep chapters discussing the beauty of memes, the importance of education, the unfair burdens that come with being Black in America, and learning to love a parent.

11. Following the success of A Black Lady Sketch Show and publishing her first memoir, Quinta also landed a recurring role on Season 3 of the TBS comedy Miracle Workers. She plays rough outlaw Trig in the period sitcom, acting alongside other heavyweights like Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi.

TBS

12. And finally, all of these incredible milestones led Quinta to her biggest impact yet: Abbott Elementary.

ABC

There's a reason this show is resonating so well with audiences. Besides being funny and having a rockstar ensemble cast, the show packs a lot of heart and hope. Quinta revealed that the show is inspired by her mother's experience as a public school teacher in Philadelphia and that the title of the series is in honor of her own sixth grade teacher.

Even though she's admittedly not as optimistic as her character Janine, there's a lot of Quinta in Abbott Elementary. Just like its creator, the series is real, relatable, and revolutionary. That's why it works.

Just like so many of us, Quinta had an ambitious dream. Through drive, dedication, and a data plan for the Internet, she was able to reach so many people through a screen. And now, she's on a bigger one. At first, she was a meme. Now, she's got money.

Scott Everett White / ABC via Getty Images

She's come a long way and still hasn't forgotten her roots — to this day, she continues to meme.

Instagram: @quintab

You can quench your Quinta cravings by following her on Instagram and by catching her hit series Abbott Elementary on ABC (and the next day on Hulu).

And make sure you head here for more of our Black History Month coverage!

Kathy Hoang