'Abbott Elementary' star Quinta Brunson is 1st Black woman to win best comedic actress Emmy in over 40 years
The last Black actress to win the award starred in "The Jeffersons."
Quinta Brunson, the star and creator of "Abbott Elementary," marked a milestone win at Monday night's 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Brunson became the first Black actress in over 40 years to win the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.
The last time a Black actress won the award was in 1981, when Isabel Sanford took home an Emmy for her role in "The Jeffersons," according to the Television Academy, the organization that hosts the Emmys.
Brunson's award this year is her first-ever acting Emmy. She won an Emmy Award in 2022 for outstanding writing for a comedy series for "Abbott Elementary," a mockumentary series that follows a group of teachers at the titular fictional predominantly Black school in Philadelphia.
"I am so happy to be able to live my dream and act out comedy," Brunson said in her acceptance speech Monday night. "I love my mom, my dad, my sisters, my brothers, my entire family so much. I love my husband. I'm so happy. I love my cast. I love 'Abbott Elementary.' Thank you so much."
On the red carpet prior to the awards, Brunson became emotional when she was interviewed alongside two fellow trailblazing Black actresses, "Martin" stars Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold.
"This is a dream come true," Brunson said in an interview with The Associated Press, with Campbell and Arnold by her side. "These two were powerhouses on a show that was not named after them, but for people like me, OK, Pam and Gina [Campbell and Arnold's characters on 'Martin'] meant more to me than anybody else growing up."
"That's what the importance of women like this is. They're playing in my home constantly, still to this day," she said. "I can't give these two women enough credit. I don't even know what to say, them and 'In Living Color,' I didn't even know it was representation at the time, and that's what it was."
Campbell noted how much it means to actresses like herself to see a new generation of Black women like Brunson taking the stage.
"We are proud of the work that she's doing, and she's changing the game," she said of Brunson.
Campbell noted that at one point, she and Arnold were the only young Black women acting on television.
"Representation really does matter," she said. "And to see that people are now -- that look like us -- being nominated and winning and creating and creating behind the scenes, it really means a lot to so many people right now. We're so proud of her."
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