Quinta Brunson Net Worth and How a Meme Made the ‘Abbott Elementary’ Creator Famous

Going from comedy sketches on Instagram to an Emmy-winning TV show, Quinta Brunson has made quite the name for herself in the entertainment world. Abbott Elementary fans know the actor as quirky and kind-hearted second-grade teacher Janine Teagues. Long before that, though, the comedian shot to fame with the help of a viral meme. Here’s a look at Quinta Brunson’s net worth and how she became famous.

How did Quinta Brunson get famous?

Brunson’s big break in comedy did not come on a stage or behind a TV camera, but on Instagram. In 2014, she posted a series of videos called The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date, in which she marvels at her date for things like buying extra snacks at the movie theater or having an unlimited pass to an amusement park. Her catchphrase, “He got money,” became a viral meme that people used to point out someone’s wealth.

“It was surreal,” she told Hemispheres Magazine. “It was also very encouraging, because it was nice to see that I could create great work on the internet and have that launch my career in a unique way.”

Brunson’s popularity on Instagram led her to land a job producing videos at BuzzFeed. In 2016, she wrote and sold the YouTube Red series Broke, followed by Up for Adoption in 2017. Brunson also starred in a series called Quinta vs. Everything. In 2021, she starred in Miracle Workers.

Quinta Brunson net worth and current projects

These days, Brunson is most known for creating and starring in Abbott Elementary. The workplace comedy, which debuted last year, follows a group of teachers at Willard R. Abbott Public School. Brunson’s work on Abbott earned her very first Emmy Award earlier this month for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live after her win to deliver an acceptance speech, in which Brunson thanked “the internet for raising me.”

In addition to Abbott, Brunson currently stars on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, which was renewed for a fourth season this summer. She also recently portrayed Oprah Winfrey in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Quinta Brunson has a net worth of $3 million. Specific details on her income are unclear. However, as Dirt reported, she used some of her wealth to purchase a $1.3 million home in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in December 2021.

Brunson stars in ‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 2 this fall

Fans of Brunson can see more of her in Abbott Elementary Season 2, which premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The comedy series will head outside the school walls to see the personal lives of Abbott teachers.

New episodes of Abbott Elementary air every Wednesday. Fans can also catch up on the show via Hulu.