--- description: Find out why Phoebe Waller-Bridge is one of the 100 most influential people of 2020. title: Phoebe Waller-Bridge: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21e38f219f9b2555/698a127197cdff2cbf6bb2e5/time-100-Phoebe-Waller-Bridge.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 22, 2020 # Phoebe Waller-Bridge by Taylor Swift  LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.) Phoebe Waller-Bridge attends the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.) Phoebe Waller-Bridge attends the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)Rich Fury—Getty Images The [2019 Emmys](https://time.com/5683559/emmys-2019-recap/ "undefined") were full of glitz and glamour, but as far as the Internet was concerned, there was one image that stole the show. The [picture in question](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/amazon-tried-stub-photos-phoebe-waller-bridge-smoking-emmys-1244437 "undefined") launched thousands of tweets, ranging from “Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the Emmy’s after party is a big fat mood,” to “My vision board is just this photo 500 times” and the popular “THE POWER SHE HOLDS.” It depicts Phoebe, mid-puff-of-smoke, blissfully relaxing on a sun lounger in a glittery Monique Lhuillier gown, [surrounded by Emmys](https://time.com/5683596/emmys-2019-phoebe-waller-bridge-lead-actress-comedy-fleabag/#:~:text=Emmys%202019%3A%20Phoebe%20Waller%2DBridge,Lead%20Actress%20in%20Comedy%20%7C%20Time "undefined"). It was, to paraphrase pretty much everyone who saw it, iconic. But an image alone doesn’t evoke this kind of passionate response without a story behind it. The reason this picture feels so good to see is that before this moment, there were seemingly endless drafts and rewrites and deadlines. There were countless times this writer was up at all hours of the night, not celebrating in the delicious glow of the light bouncing off her golden trophies, but racking her brain to try and stick a literary landing. Sometimes all the puzzle pieces fall into place at the perfect time. A combination of razor-sharp instincts, killer wit and genuine care for the people she works with proved to be a winning hand. She is the executive producer and was a showrunner of the thrilling hit show [_Killing Eve_](https://time.com/5228977/killing-eve-isnt-your-average-mystery-series/ "undefined"). Her one-woman play [_Fleabag_](https://time.com/5590251/fleabag-season-2-review/ "undefined") was adapted into a show that turned her into everyone’s favorite self-sabotaging maker of mischief. (Phoebe has a habit of [creating complex female anti­heroes in a way](https://time.com/collection-post/4684892/phoebe-waller-bridge-next-generation-leaders/ "undefined") that seemed previously reserved for male characters.) And she co-wrote the screenplay for the new [Bond film](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50331077 "undefined"). It’s magical to see that all the rehearsals, baby steps, false starts and dead ends can lead to an extremely driven and unfathomably talented woman unwinding in a lounge chair surrounded by her winnings. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and all that she has achieved is, indeed, a big mood. [_Swift_](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567666/taylor-swift/ "undefined") _is a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwrite_r ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888489/phoebe-waller-bridge/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888489/phoebe-waller-bridge/"},"headline":"Phoebe Waller-Bridge","datePublished":"2020-09-22T19:42:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:37.579Z","description":"Find out why the \"Fleabag\" creator is one of the most influential people of 2020, according to Taylor Swift.","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888489/phoebe-waller-bridge/","keywords":["TIME 100","T100 2020","T100 2020 Artists"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21e38f219f9b2555/698a127197cdff2cbf6bb2e5/time-100-Phoebe-Waller-Bridge.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21e38f219f9b2555/698a127197cdff2cbf6bb2e5/time-100-Phoebe-Waller-Bridge.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888489/phoebe-waller-bridge/","name":"Phoebe Waller-Bridge"}}]}] ```