People have been talking about Quinta Brunson for a while—but the chatter is louder now than ever before.

Brunson created and stars in ABC’s popular show "Abbott Elementary," a comedy mockumentary-style sitcom about teachers at an underfunded public school. She was recently named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2022.

But she was already a significant internet presence before her recent sitcom success. Brunson first gained recognition eight years ago for her self-made Instagram series "Girl Who Has Never Been On A Nice Date," which included a joke about a man who “got moneyyy,” in part for essentially buying out the concession stand at a movie theater. She later became known for creating videos for Buzzfeed. Last year, Brunson published a book, "She Memes Well," that touched upon her experience of gaining comedic success and staying true to herself.

Now with around 1 million followers on Instagram, Brunson has been compared to other digital creators such as Issa Rae who got into mainstream filmography. The daughter of a kindergarten teacher, Brunson is also using her platform for education advocacy. She partnered with General Mills’ Box Tops for Education during Teacher Appreciation Month in May and encouraged her followers to share the impact teachers have made on their lives.

In addition, ABC partnered with publishing company Scholastic in connection with “Abbott Elementary” to provide underfunded schools with free book fairs in March.