IMO Live: Give Your Parents Grace with Quinta Brunson

IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson - Higher Ground

Michelle Obama hosts comedian Quinta Brunson at the Obama Presidential Center, celebrating the Girls Opportunity Alliance and discussing family, creativity, and the power of shared experiences. The event blends heartfelt stories with lighthearted moments, highlighting personal growth and community. Quinta shares her journey from Philly to stardom, emphasizing authenticity and the importance of acc

Key takeaways

• Growing up in a large, culturally rich family shaped Quinta's comedic voice.
• Authenticity and family support are central to her success.
• Access to arts and education can transform lives, especially for underserved youth.

Transcript preview

I worked on Kean Peel. Oh yeah. It's a PA. I miss that in your book. I don't know if I was in there. I don't know. I did it was like it was their first episode actually. Wow. And I was a PA and through that met a producer. Production assistant. And she does a podcast now. She's in the business. Yeah. I'm just you know. Lingo PA. I was a P. Yeah. Production assistant and then I, uh, that producer. This episode of IMO is brought to you by United Airlines and Chase Home Lending. Oh, wow. It's everybody we know. Can we go back out and come in again? I know. It's like, I'm gonna be like, hey, what? Oh, what? You're here. Sandy? What's going on? Well, you guys, welcome to IMO, but this is the. first event that we're holding here in this amazing auditorium. Isn't it beautiful? Wow. And I just would like to thank all of our friends and family who are here and a special thanks to United Airlines who's sponsoring this episode for us. And I just would like to thank all of our I know that I know you didn't know that is no way you're gonna catch me you can't you can't fly that much commercial anymore well congratulations she's gonna catch up to me but you guys this we are excited this is a big week this is the opening of the Obama presidential center and we thought that it would be a good thing to do is to have a wonderful chat we've got a room full of amazing young girls who are participating in our Girls Opportunity Alliance. And I think we have the perfect guests today who's going to join us and she is Craig is supposed to do the introduction so. She just like always you go ahead and take over the whole thing. I'm sorry I'm sorry. And see all my family you know how it goes. They're like oh there she goes. Mike is over there cracking up because she's like there she goes again. over. Sorry. Well, Quinta is a creator, writer, actor, and executive producer of ABC's hit mockumentary Abbott Elementary. Right on. And you know, the Robinson household, that's that we're back to appointment TV now. That's a big show. I'm glad you're letting the boys watch a little TV. Quinta Brunson is the first solo black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy series and the first to earn three Emmy nominations in a single year for writing, acting, and producing in the comedy category. So without further ado, let's welcome our... A big Chicago, welcome. Our good friend now that we got to meet her in the back. Oh, so glad you're here. So you're gonna have to figure that out. I asked in the back I said what do I say mrs. Obama do I say mimee no Michelle Michelle Michelle Michelle Michelle Michelle Michelle and so you part of the family I mean it is truly full of friends and family they don't know me as Michelle Obama they know me as me sure shell or Michelle or Michelle or so you part of the family. Hey you over there well thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. is beautiful. I didn't get to see it being built as I'm sure all the Chicagoans you've been riding past this but it was absolutely breathtaking to me from the outside in the car I just I said what is this huge piece of art that got installed I didn't even realize that this was the presidential center so it's just it's gorgeous and congratulations yeah thank you so much because it's more than just an archive of Baroque presidency. It is really a declaration of hope. It is a community space. There are recording studios here for young people. This auditorium is available for the community. There are gardens here. There are 19 acres of public new park space created. There's a big gymnasium across the street from Hyde Park High School, which is across the street. full professional size basketball court because you know Craig. Barak had to have basketball. I was like that. Did you say Craig? I did say Craig. We do that. I call Barak Craig. He calls Kelly Meish, Leslie Meish. We do all that. But yeah. So we're very proud of it and happy to share it with the with the city and with the world. And I know you're going to take a tour before you get out of here. Maybe or you'll come back for a tour. to take a tour before this, but as you know, getting here was a... Yeah. There was weather in the Midwest and so I am here on two glorious hours of sleep. Look at it. And you know what? I was tired, I know where I'm coming, I want my energy to come back and everything. And as soon as we got outside and saw that building, there was really... I'm not kidding you guys, like a warmth and positivity. even was he was so hype about it and he's here from Chicago. My security was like what in the world it's just it's really stunning and I think there's a good energy radiating out of this place for sure and seeing these lovely faces bright in my day coming out. Hi girls. Hi. Okay, so if I do 15 years? What? Yeah, which is crazy because I'm like only barely 17, but yeah, it's like you were a 7 when you came. It was wild running the Chicago streets. No, I think like 15 years I started coming out while I was in college. I might be wrong on the math. I'm a writer, not a mathematician. I don't believe. And I don't think about the past too often, so I'm not sure, but I started coming out when I was in college and I was in college and I was taking classes and I was taking classes at I had a boyfriend at the time who was going to Columbia College. Tell us more. She didn't wait, did she? She just went right in. She went right in. She brought him up. I did. See that's the lawyer and she's pointing out that you brought it up. Right through the door. Okay, so there was some guy you were visiting. No, he was a significant part of my past, but that's because you know, you brought it up. You know, it. You brought me here. And I came out to visit him once and saw that Second City was just right next door. And it was kind of like my dream place. I would go watch. I watch SNL every night and I eventually looked up where all these people, how they learned to do this. I started to figure it out. They had to have known each other. They have to have developed these skills and a lot of those people went to Second City. So I started coming out just to take like a week intensive course. It was. It was all. I could afford a Southwest ticket in a week-long course. And you were West Philly. Yeah, so I was in Philly. Yeah. I was, oh, West Philly in the house? Oh, I was in my, my little money. Oh, I was in I love that. I love that. I talk dance classes for like $25 a class and at a dance school in Philly and I would take my little money and buy a ticket and spend the rest of my little money to go to Second City and take a course. I really had to use my own money because I did not tell my parents they would think that I was on campus at Temple. You were commuting to Chicago. I like the way you put it, not sneaking, but commuting to Chicago. Thank you Craig. Without your parents knowledge. No. Which don't do that. Don't do that. That's it. We'll talk about that later. We will talk about it. But yeah, you know, classic girls sneaking off and doing improv. because you grew up in a pretty strict environment you're one of five five baby tell us about that little Quinta and your name Quinta number five yes my name means fifth because my parents didn't expect me and so they just she was one of those oh yeah we met yeah we did we did we did you know difference. Eight years. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Any? You guys got any oops? Any? No. No. I guess parents are supposed to name it. We have big generations. Craig has two sets of kids. Okay. Right. Right. So they're big age gaps. Okay. And the cousins are close. Is it just you two? Just us. That's cool. And a whole bunch of cousins. I love. I love cousins. Probably half this audience is a cousin. Really. So, okay, let me, okay, it's about, okay, so, I know, I'm trying to flip it, so I don't have to talk about it. I like how you flip that, you like that, right to us. Could have been a smooth journalist. But you're one of five. One of five, I was the youngest and yeah, my brother closest to me was eight and eight year different, sorry, and it was cool. It was cool because I grew up really, I think that's the best way I can put it. My parents are in their 70s, I believe they're 73, and my oldest sibling is 53, and my sibling closest to me is 45, is that correct? Yeah. And so growing up my brothers and sisters were already living life and passing down life to me. And my parents as well. I recently was talking about this but I grew up with my parents music so my music was Stevie Wonder and Al Green and and even their oldies like very old do-op songs by groups I don't know the names of were they listen to jazz we were big jazz household and then my brothers and sisters were taking in so much I mean my brother's watching W. W. E. So I was this little girl coming to school asking people if they could smell what the rock was cooking and everyone was like what is wrong with you? Why do you? Why are you into that? And then my sisters were into like, you know, they were into Conan and friends and like late night TV. But also my sister took me to my first concert, which was just an usher concert. She just she liked me. She pulled me around like a little doll and she was always just taking me with her to things because she liked me but I was always the youngest kid in the room so I think. Did you feel like you were trying to keep up or did you like being the baby? Yeah. It didn't seem strange to me and I would get to school and share all the things that I thought were normal with my classmates and I remember and in kindergarten I was four I was four I was four everyone else was five and I remember talking to them about like Luther Vandros and the children. And they're like... And what would you say? What were you telling the people about Luther? You know I would talk about music? It's great to me... It's great to me... To fall in love to. Yeah. By the sandbox. I was like, yeah, these are the songs, right? You guys know this song, right? And they're just like talking about Smiley Face from Nick. And you're like these babies. Yeah, seriously, but I'm so happy that I got so much culture and it definitely was the case with television because you know my parents Had me watching their shows plus their oldies and my brothers and sisters had me watching everything from Ace Ventura to Kings of comedy to S&L to Mad TV to live in color for every shows like but then also shows like the West. I just got so much funneled into me and I'm really grateful for that. So like if I have kids I kind of want to do the same kind of set up like one really old one, one really young one. Because I think the young one keeps the older ones young too. Yeah. Really good point. Yeah. Really good point. Really good point. So were you always the show kid? Because you were the youngest were you performing performing all the time. Let the baby sing. Oh yeah no they made me like their little jester for sure it was um Quinta do this line from Martin because they just thought it was funny what was the line oh it's so it's so dumb there was one I just saw the episode again recently and I was like oh this is where they came from it was a man at the DMV um it was a man at the DMV um it's just it's very silly stuff I don't know but there was an episode where someone Martin gets a new job. He's doing a TV show now instead of the radio show. But one of the irate audience members goes, and where's Oprah? And for some reason, that was something they had me say. Just all the time at three. And where's Oprah? And where's Oprah? And where's Oprah? And where's Oprah? And where's Oprah? And where's Oprah? And where. And where's Oprah? And where. And then, um, um, and living color, and living color, they really enjoyed making me do the character Wanda, So you're a little seven-year-old impression, or Wanda? I mean I'm talking four. Oh my God. Just learn to talk and they are making me and they maybe do not fun stuff like there were three floors to our house and this is back in the day you had one remote and it worked like all the TVs and so maybe we had more and we just lost them. That's probably more likely what happened so they my sisters would make me go all the way to the third floor to get the remote and bring it down and bring it down. just the gopher. Yeah, I was a gopher. Those were the, and then there were fun perks like they forgot to tell me stuff a lot of the times. I came so late that they, family stuff, like family secrets. Like I didn't find out my oldest brother had a different dad until I was 16. Oh yeah. And it was just because they forgot to tell me. It was just like so normal. It was like, I was like, I was going. Yeah, I just, you're, you have this natural way, comedic way about you. And I'm just, good thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, well, we always talk about how our parents were funny. Yeah. Yeah. They were funny people, right. But your, your parents, I mean, your household sounds like it was just a, I think there's a last. Beauty and people who are just dangerously authentic in themselves. And then, you're, you're, you're, your household. people like me who are taking it all in and you know my sister is one of the funniest people in the world to me she would never get up on a stage or you know even pursue acting but her natural rhythm is just hilarious because she's so authentic to a fault I can't get her to reel it in sometimes but I appreciate that about her so much and I think my parents are the same way my mom is just the funniest little lady and she doesn't see it. We were texting while watching the finals and she was really upset about Wimbuncheon-Brunz into the ground and she was like, this lanky man, my goodness, I said, mom, that's like, so funny that you're so mad. And she... This lanky man. I said, well, they used to bully Wimb, so, you know, now this, she was like, well, it must stop and she sent the stop emoji. Where did you get that? A hilarious little lady but you know what's funny the first time I met you Michelle it feels weird I want to say Mrs. Oh doing just okay yeah Mrs Obama you cracked me right on up you really did what did I say to you I'm not gonna say what you said but you were just so funny and I don't know if you remember but I literally fell off my rock or laughing I was so just people's natural just I don't I don't know personhood It was her. I was her. I was cracking up. I was one thing I'm funny. Yeah. But your mother was a school teacher. Your father managed to parking lots. Yeah. He managed parking lots at a company called Parkway, my Philly people. Okay. Shout out to Parkway. I mean, it's the me's knees in Philly, you know. And I was what they call a parking princess. And by the day I mean me. I called myself that because I could park anywhere in Philly that. You know parallel parking I can't parallel she's talking about she could park at any parking Oh yeah yeah I'm not my mind I'm glad I want to see but that's I think if you're the princess she that means you can literally park I'm not good at oh well then you don't you don't get the drive that was the crazy part about it I don't enjoy driving but I had like the juice my friends would call me and be like oh my god I'm downtown do you think you think your dad can get me and I'm like here let me You were living like, what was your neighborhood like, what was school like? My neighborhood, that's a good question. My family did a really good job of making me feel like I lived in like full house, you know? You know, I didn't know that outside my neighborhood was more like the wire. I wasn't really that aware. I think everybody here. can relate. Something I really love about Chicago and feel a kinship there. We all thought we were rich. And I think that's kind of like a testament to a really good family and it wasn't protectiveness. It was your child and you deserve to live in a nice environment. But yeah, one day I was outside and I was like jumping rope with my girlfriend, double-de-de-h. with my girlfriend's. And then there was like a drive-by. Oh yeah. And that happened and we just ran behind the the on my porch there was like a little barrier. We had a what do you call it outdoor birch and then we like stood up and then this kid I knew came limping down the street and blood dripping from his leg and I was like man that's so crazy that that happened to him and then I was like wait because that happened to me and then I remember that I remember that being a moment of my parents were doing. It was summer I was outside by my I probably was about 12 I would say yeah because we moved out of that neighborhood when I was 14 but they did a good job of making me feel like it wasn't as tough as it was because it was a rough neighborhood but did having the older brothers and sisters were they kind of your protectors or were you kind of like I know you you knew that you had to be able to throw some hands? I know you knew that you had to be able to throw some hands Yes, I knew I needed to know how to fight and I do know how to fight. They're just like, by the way. Really well. Just so happen. You just messed up. You just messed up. Yeah, thank you. Quinto messed up some. It's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, Quinn. Right now, right now, right now, right the second. You just like that wasn't the look I was going for. I can't. I can't. I guess that's good. Yeah. We never fought each other and we weren't fighters you know fighting is I don't want to fight But you have to if you need to in a city like that once again girls I'm just I don't feel like Don't don't fight it's not if you can resolve it in other ways please do it Yeah That's true I've only been in like two physical fights and I'm very proud of that Yeah, and a lot of people have been in one but I feel like you guys should take the reins now this is good. No we love this. This is great. This is great. This episode is brought to you in part by United Airlines Chicago's hometown airline where good leads the way. So Meish, I have to ask. This episode is brought to you in part by United Airlines, Chicago's hometown airline where good leads the way. So Meish, I have to ask, when you're on the plane coming back to Chicago. and you catch a glimpse of the skyline over Lake Michigan, what comes to your mind? That's my favorite part of the flight. I mean, I try to make it a point to stop everything that I'm doing and make sure that I'm looking out the window because I don't know about you, but I try to outline where we are, you know, because the beautiful thing about Chicago, it's a grid system and it's an easy, one of the easiest cities to get around in. sort of track your whole neighborhood, right? So I try to find out where's the house, do I see mom's house, do I see where you guys used to live, even though it's a little bitty dot, it's just exciting. You have an ideal. No, I feel that, I feel that same way. Every time I landed O'Hare, there's this specific moment where I just exhale. Like, okay, I'm back, this is where it all started. the world, I still think Chicago is one of the most beautiful electric cities on the planet. And that feeling never gets old. Do you have any special feelings about the city like that? Oh my God, it's the exact same thing. I mean, I have traveled the world and my heart is still in Chicago. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Grant Park, and now Jackson Park is going to be just as beautiful because shameless plug but the Obama Presidential Center is going to be