Quinta Brunson Admits To Seeing 'Abbott Elementary's' Success Before It Aired

Quinta Brunson wasn't surprised by the success of her hit show “Abbott Elementary.” 

The 32- year-old producer created the sitcom for ABC, which first premiered in December 2021. The show features actors including Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, and Janelle James, amongst others. 

From having more than 7 million viewers to bagging seven Emmy nominations in its first season, the show is definitely a hit. 

These accomplishments are in line with the prophecies of Brunson, as she claimed that she actually foresaw the huge success of the show. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy winner talked at great lengths about the sitcom and about her career in general. When asked if there was anything she wished she had known before the show was released, the actress gave a hearty reply.

She revealed that she had previously done a pilot, which she hoped didn’t blow up.  In her words, “I felt very prepared for what was to come with Abbott. There was something about making a pilot, and everyone involved felt it. I did a pilot once where I was like, “Oh my God. If this goes, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I am going to hate my life. I don’t want to move to Vancouver. This show isn’t that special. It would’ve been my nightmare if that pilot had gone.“

However, that wasn't the case for "Abbott Elementary." She stated how different and confident she felt about the mockumentary-style series saying, “whereas, with Abbott, it was like, 'If this doesn’t go, I don’t know what I have to give to the world because this is the best I can do.' I could see us winning awards. I could see us becoming really popular.”

As the interview progressed, the comedian was asked how she intends to handle the pressure of “highlighting the institutional problems of the American education system” and also as a black woman in Hollywood.

“On one hand, I’m super happy to represent very positive things to people,” the writer replied. “It makes me feel humbled and grateful. I try not to live in it too much because I think it’s a trap. I think perfection is a trap, and I think branding’s a trap.”

She further explained that she’s aware that people’s perspectives can’t be controlled, and she wouldn’t even try to control them. “I really just want to make a good TV show,” she declared. 

The hit producer was also asked who she was most anxious to work with in her career. Surprisingly, she mentioned that she loves to work with her peers or someone whose talent hasn’t been shown yet. An example was Keyla Monterroso Mejia, who plays Ashley in the series. 

Shortly after the Emmy Awards which the show snagged multiple awards, Brunson received so much love from the casts of the show. 

Per The Blast, some children from the comedy series sent the 32-year-old congratulatory messages. She took to her Twitter to share the messages she received. 

Fans may recall that the hit series bagged three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Cast for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Although this act was touching, fans are not in a hurry to forget what happened when Brunson gave her acceptance speech on stage. 

Before she came on stage, Jimmy Kimmel and Will Arnett performed a mini comedy skit. As she gave her speech, Kimmel lay at her feet, jokingly protesting his loss for the same category. Although the writer didn’t mind it, the internet was bewildered by this. 

They claimed the late-night show host attempted to steal the spotlight from Brunson. A user mentioned that  “Quinta Brunson deserved better than giving her acceptance over Jimmy Kimmel’s 'dead' body.” 

Regardless of what happened at the award ceremony, Brunson was initially over the moon when she saw the nominations her show received. 

The comedy series snagged seven Emmy nominations, with Brunson single-handedly taking three of those nods. Shortly after the nominations were announced, she took to Twitter to express her feelings.

The actress put out a heartfelt message, writing, “Crying, shaking and throwing up has new meaning to me because I real life did all three,” before appreciating everyone for their support and kind wishes.