Quinta Brunson, the creator and star of the hit ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary” said she has shut down suggestions from fans to do a school shooting episode in the wake of this week’s mass shooting at a Texas elementary school.
“Wild how many people have asked for a school shooting episode of the show I write,” Brunson said in a Twitter thread on Wednesday. “People are that deeply removed from demanding more from the politicians they’ve elected and are instead demanding “entertainment.” I can’t ask “are yall ok” anymore because the answer is “no.”
“Abbott Elementary” is a sitcom that follows the daily life of educators teaching in the Philadelphia public school system.
Brunson also mentioned in her thread that fans of the show should use that “energy” to call on their elected officials to address this issue, noting Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke’s (D) recent push on stricter gun reform as well.
O’Rourke garnered headlines on Wednesday for confronting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) at a news conference in Uvalde, Texas, on the issue.
“Please use that energy to ask your elected official to get on Beto time and nothing less,” Brunson said. “I’m begging you.”
“I don’t want to sound mean, but I want people to understand the flaw in asking for something like this,” Brunson added. “we’re not okay. this country is rotting our brains. im sad about it.”
The actress, whose show was recently picked up for a second season by ABC, concluded her thread by sharing a direct message from a fan asking for the show to cover the issue, placing a clown face emoji on the fan’s social media profile avatar.
“Exhibit A: one of many,” she tweeted.
Brunson’s remarks come after 19 elementary school children and two teachers were killed and 17 other people were injured on Tuesday in Uvalde when a gunman opened fire inside of a fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School.
The massacre in Texas happened a week after the mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., which resulted in the deaths of ten people.