Special Honors Announced for Mel Brooks and Quinta Brunson
The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors today announced that Mel Brooks has won the Peabody Career Achievement Award, while Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson has won the Peabody Trailblazer Award.
Both awards were selected by unanimous vote of the Peabody Board of Jurors and will be celebrated live at the 84th Annual Peabody Awards ceremony on June 9 in Los Angeles.
“Mel Brooks is not only one of the most beloved comedians of all time, but he literally set the standard for television comedy from its earliest days,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody, in a statement. “Across TV, film, theater, and recordings, Mr. Brooks is in a league of his own.”
Over the course of his career, Brooks has received two Academy Awards, four Emmys, three Tonys and three Grammys, as well as an honorary Oscar. Brooks joins Rita Moreno, Sam Pollard, Dan Rather, Lily Tomlin and Cicely Tyson as recent winners of the Peabody Career Achievement Award.
“Quinta Brunson has emerged as a refreshingly creative force in network television comedy,” said Jones of the two-time Emmy winner, which has previously won a Peabody in 2023. Brunson is the second winner of the Peabody Trailblazer Award following inaugural winner Issa Rae.
Added Jones: “Peabody is proud to honor Mel and Quinta not only for their extraordinary contributions as storytellers, but particularly for their use of comedy to tell stories that matter, enriching the lives of so many.”
The winners of the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be announced on May 9 and then celebrated on June 9 at a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. The nominees in the Documentary, News, Public Service and Radio/Podcast were announced April 23, while the Arts, Children, Entertainment, Interactive & Immersive Categories nominees were announced April 25. This will be Peabody’s first in-person ceremony since 2019, as well as the first time ever in its history that the awards will take place in Los Angeles.