Despite a stalled third season of “Abbott Elementary,” Quinta Brunson is still smelling roses.
Following her recent win at the Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Oprah Winfrey sent Brunson an enormous floral arrangement to the set of “Abbott Elementary,” where filming of season 3 of the comedy series is well underway.
“Thank you @Oprah for this small bouquet!” Brunson, said in a recent Instagram post as the crew looked on in admiration.
The arrangement includes dozens of white and light pink roses as well as white hydrangeas. While it is not known how much the arrangement cost Winfrey, 200 wholesale roses cost an estimated $550 and 100 white hydrangeas are more than $200, according to New York-based flower wholesaler Global Roses. And that’s not counting labor or delivery — and the markup. The mark-up on flowers is typically three to five times the wholesale cost, according to Florists Review. And, if the massive arrangement was done by a high-end florist, the cost could be in the thousands.
Also, keep in mind roses are cheaper in Los Angeles (where Brunson received the lavish bouquet), where local growers supplement the import market, Business Insider reported.
On Brunson’s Instagram post, she is standing behind the massive arrangement with only her face visible to viewers.
Brunson, who is worth a reported $3 million, was the first Black actress to win the category in over 40 years. In 1981, Isabel Sanford won for her role on “The Jeffersons.” This was Brunson’s second consecutive year of being nominated in the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category. Brunson has also received a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2022.
“I love making ‘Abbott Elementary’ so much and I am so happy to be able to live my dream and act out comedy,” Brunson said during her acceptance speech. “I am so happy to be able to get this.”
In addition to be the creator and executive producer of “Abbott Elementary,” Brunson starred in the web series “Broke,” “Quinta vs. Everything,” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” She also played Winfrey in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”
When Brunson was interviewed last year by Winfrey, she shared the importance of her contributions to comedy.
“Performing and writing and creating, producing — I feel like I’m still doing it for my family,” Brunson said, as reported in People. “They’re the best focus group because growing up, we all as a family used to laugh together despite being a multigenerational household. Having these different people with vastly different senses of humor, vastly different educational levels. The programs that brought us together were meaningful to me.”
Other Celebrity Congratulations
In addition to Winfrey’s extravagant congratulatory gift, many of other celebrities who follow Brunson on Instagram commented on her win.
“OMG!” said America Ferrara, who starred in “Barbie” commented. “And still not enough.”
“The smell is delicious,” said Lisa Ann Walter who stars on “Abbott Elementary” as fellow educator Melissa Schemmenti.
Finally, “Yellowjackets” actress Melani Lynskey wrote, “The second picture…I am so overjoyed for you and send you a hug that’s the same size as those flowers.”
