The Funniest Quinta Brunson Jokes and Moments for the Comedy Hall of Fame

Quinta Brunson has been riding a rightfully earned whirlwind of success the past year. Of course, we've covered Abbott Elementary before, and why wouldn’t we? It’s incredible. (See entry #14 below.) And a significant reason for that is because, for Brunson, it’s a labor of love that she’s poured so much of her real self into. Her mother’s background in teaching inspired her to create the show, and she also chose to set it in her hometown of Philadelphia. Brunson even initially gave the school the same name as the one she attended, and when a name change was needed, she christened it after her favorite middle school teacher.

But Brunson’s recent success didn’t happen in a vacuum. Instead, it’s the culmination of everything she’s done since she decided to pursue comedy nine years ago. So let’s take a look back on her career with our favorite Quinta Brunson jokes and moments…

14 Abbott Elementary

Brunson’s biggest success (so far) does an excellent job of providing plenty of quirky characters without ever having them fall into the same wacky caricature pitfalls that other mockumentary workplace comedies like The Office and Parks and Recreation did.

And this is before getting into how the show is handling the slow-burn romance between Janine and Gregory — allowing their feelings for each other to progress at just the right pace has staved off fears that this will become another overly drawn-out “will they or won’t they” trope that has doomed so many sitcom romances.

13 Early Instagram Fame

Brunson first gained a following for her viral Instagram videos, giving us hints of ideas she would later refine in her comedy. A stellar example is the character from her “Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date” series, who is clearly echoed by Abbott Elementary’s Principal Ava.

12 Broke

Her social buzz led to her first professional gig — writing, producing and starring in videos for BuzzFeed. While there, she dropped Broke, a YouTube Red sitcom centered around three roommates trying to make life (and poverty) work in L.A.

11 On Dating

“I’m dating, but it’s really hard for me because every guy I like, I just wind up becoming really, really good friends with. It’s like, I like them, and they like me, but neither of us ever makes a move, so we just become chums. We’d just become good friends. A friend told me, ‘Quinta, one day, I want my daughter to turn out just like you.’ And I was like, ‘So should I grab that dick now or later. Because I feel like you want to procreate…’ He did not.”

10 Lazor Wulf

Brunson voiced Blazor Wulf, the work-obsessed sister of the titular character, on the surreal Adult Swim cartoon based on Henry Bonsu’s webcomic. She also pulled double duty, being credited as a writer on two episodes.

9 Quinta vs. Everything

Another short-lived BuzzFeed series that had Brunson going up against everything from self-care to humanity.

8 Saturday Night Live

Brunson’s first-time hosting turned out to be one of the most entertaining episodes of the season. We need her in the SNL Five-Timers Club as soon as humanly possible.

7 A Black Lady Sketch Show

Brunson brought her A-game to the first season of HBO’s hit sketch series but sadly had to bounce before Season Two due to scheduling conflicts.

6 What It’s Like Being the Only Black Friend

Another banger from her BuzzFeed days.

5 Up for Adoption

Brunson created a series for Verizon’s fleeting go90 video platform, with the mockumentary format serving as a perfect rough draft for what she would bring to Abbott Elementary.

4 On Being Short

“The worst thing about being this short is letting down child predators. It happens all the time. They walk by me on the street, ‘Ohh, Where are you going?’

“‘Sorry to disappoint you, sir. I’m 27 years old, with a 401k. Keep it moving.’

“‘Goddammit! What are they putting in the water?!?’ They text their child predator friends, ‘If you see a small girl under 5 foot, African-American: Abort!’”

3 Big Mouth

Brunson has appeared in multiple episodes as the spot-on named Quinta, one of Missy Foreman-Greenwald’s cousins trying to help her connect with the African-American side of her mixed heritage.

2 Getting Back at Jimmy Kimmel

When Brunson won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Abbott, her moment was overshadowed by Kimmel and Will Arnett taking a presentation bit too far. First, the two pretended Kimmel was drunk, with Arnett dragging a “passed out” Kimmel to the stage by his feet. Then, during Brunson’s acceptance speech, Kimmel remained motionless at her heels, a gag commonly referred to as a “dick move.” But Brunson handled the situation with class, appearing on Kimmel’s show the next night to accept his apology, but not before she crashed the end of his monologue to give a proper speech.