| No Images? Click here   Senior culture writer Zeba Blay has covered books, television and film for five years at HuffPost, digging deep on the narratives that underlie popular media and what they tell us about culture writ large. This week, she profiled Quinta Brunson, one of the four stars of HBO's new “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” Brunson, 29, first reached viral fame online in 2014 with a series of Instagram videos, "The Girl Who's Never Been on a Nice Date." She spent some time creating comedy shorts for BuzzFeed as well, and earning recognition as a writer, producer, comedian and actress. Lately, she's been racking up a variety of appearances on television shows like “iZombie” and “Broke.” She talked to Blay about her most prominent TV role yet, and about defining her own success as a Black woman in comedy. Must Reads wanted to hear more about that, so we talked with Blay about her latest piece. What made you decide to profile Brunson, since she's probably the lesser-known of the four main actors on “A Black Lady Sketch Show”? Quinta may be more of a newcomer on TV, but she’s been on my radar since 2014 as a pretty prominent online comedian, representative of a whole new wave of comics who use social media as a platform for telling jokes. She’s made tons of viral videos for BuzzFeed and elsewhere, and I was really interested in talking to her about what a transition from the world of the internet to the world of movies and TV was like. Looking at some past examples of Black sketch comedy shows, like “In Living Color” or “Key & Peele,” what aspects of that pantheon does “A Black Lady Sketch Show” carry on, and what does it do differently? The most obvious thing that the show brings I think is a much more specific point of view, comedy filtered through the minds and perspectives of Black women. There are certain jokes -- like in Episode 1 where the girls are horrified when one of them admits to never wearing a headscarf or bonnet to bed -- that are so specifically Black and femme, you kind of have to be a Black woman or know one intimately to understand it. That’s really exciting. It’s not that the humor is excluding anyone, but I think moments like that are emblematic of the fact that this is a show that is made without the white gaze in mind, which is refreshing in this genre. You write about the reception for the show, which is largely good, though there’s been criticism in some corners about who exactly the show's audience is. As you note, the show shouldn't have to represent every Black woman ever, but that seems to be the expectation when there are so few shows by and for Black women. Is that expectation changing -- or, what will it take to change that? I don’t know if I can really respond to that question with one definitive answer, or offer up some magic recipe for changing the intense expectations and scrutiny representations of Black people on-screen face. It’s complicated. When it comes to representation and inclusion and all that good stuff, I often get the sense that there are as many leaps forward as there are steps back, which makes it hard sometimes to tally actual progress. What I will say is that shows like “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” or “Insecure” or “Dear White People” or “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” are certainly chipping away at the monolithic view of Black comedy, and that’s nice to see. One point Brunson makes is how Black internet culture is now influencing more traditional media, like television. What are some other places you're seeing that happen in the topics you cover as a reporter and writer? I think it could be argued that Black internet culture, like Black culture in general, influences nearly every facet of American popular culture. You see it in the latest viral dance crazes or slang terms that originate from Black people on the internet and sort of slowly spread out amongst everyone. But I guess a more recent, more specific example is the recent hoopla around the Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich, which has netted both Popeyes and Chick-fil-A huge publicity just off of a Black Twitter debate about which is better. That’s just one example of Black internet culture, and specifically here Black Twitter, making a direct impact to the culture, in this case the marketing of a fast food product. It’s wild. 🔥 More Must Reads 🔥👋You may have noticed our website is now www.huffpost.com. Don't worry, it'll still be the same HuffPost you know and love, just with a new URL. Make sure to update your bookmarks! HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media Group. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More.The internet's best stories, and interviews with the people who tell them. Like what you see? Forward it to a friend. Or sign up! Can't get enough? Check out our Morning Email.©2019 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 |
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