Emmy Awards

Quinta Brunson of ‘Abbott Elementary' Makes History With First Emmys Win

Quinta Brunson
Chris Haston/NBC via Getty Images

Quinta Brunson's Emmy win came with a side of history.

The "Abbott Elementary" creator's victory for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series made her just the third Black writer and the second Black female writer to win the award.

Previously, Larry Wilmore won the category in 2002 for "The Bernie Mac Show" and Lena Waithe took home the Emmy for "Master of None" in 2017, an award she shared with Aziz Ansari.

During her acceptance speech, Brunson gave a shout-out to Wilmore, saying, "I do want to thank Larry Wilmore for teaching me to write television as well as he did."

Brunson also used the opportunity to give major thanks to her family and co-workers.

"I have to thank my mom, dad, brothers and sisters, my cousins," she said, "We would be here forever if I tried to name my cousins and uncles and aunts. My husband and my incredible cast and show for helping me to make this show and make the pilot, thank you."

Emmys 2022 Red Carpet Fashion

Earlier in the evening, Brunson told Live From E! why the show's connection to her mother is so important.

"My mom was a teacher," Brunson said on the red carpet. "I was so close to it all my life. I was in my mom's class. Schools like Abbott, with Black children and Black teachers who care about them, they're very special places. Places of community and safety and morals and intense humor."

More than that, though, Brunson explained that showing all facets of the school--the good, the bad and the very, very funny--was crucial.

"That was what was important to me, the funny of that kind of environment--every day these people show up and do this job, and there's something endearing in that," she said. "I'm so happy we've done such a good job that teachers feel represented by what we do. It wasn't necessarily our goal but I think we've done a good job of sticking to the accuracy that teachers represent."


(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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