Quinta Brunson

Quinta Brunson didn't just make history this year; she rewrote the playbook. Brunson was the first Black woman to receive 3 Emmy nominations for Comedy in one year, and was also the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Writing a Comedy Series solo (take that, Jimmy Kimmel!) It's all due to her sitcom smash, Abbott Elementary, which is a sweet, smart and loving homage to the teaching community. Due in part to the success of the show--and Brunson's strong belief in giving back--ABC was able to supply Scholastic Book Fairs to seven schools this March. Even before the first season of Abbott Elementary had fully aired, ABC made a rare move and ordered a 22-episode second season. Aside from playing the ever-determined and eternally chipper teacher Janine Teagues, Brunson also appeared on the season 3 finale of A Black Lady Sketch Show, channeled Oprah Winfrey in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and played Ivy in Cars on the Road. Talk about booked and busy!