Charting 'The Bear' actor Ayo Edebiri's golden award season journey
The 28-year-old actor Ayo Edebiri is making waves this awards season with her outstanding portrayal of Sydney Adamu in The Bear. In an unprecedented feat, she has secured a clean sweep at the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Awards, and now the Emmys, winning Best Supporting Actress trophies. She has claimed victory in every category she's been nominated for! This proves that it's no longer the award season; it's the "Edebiri season."
Why does this story matter?
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Edebiri has been gracing the entertainment world since 2013. However, it's her recent role as Adamu in The Bear that thrust her into the spotlight. She portrayed an ambitious young chef at The Beef, run by Jeremy Allen White's character Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto. It's not just Edebiri, but the show and its cast also emerged victorious at the Emmys, securing six awards across all major categories.
Edebiri scripted history with her Emmy win!
During her Emmy acceptance speech—which lasted just 45 seconds—Edebiri thanked her parents with her trademark deadpan humor: "Thank you so much for loving me and letting me feel beautiful and Black and proud of all of that." Her Emmy win is historic, as she's only the third Black woman to achieve the Best Supporting Actress award, following Jackée Harry in 1987 and Sheryl Lee Ralph in 2022. This aside, Edebiri is up for two Screen Actors Guild Awards this season.
In detail: Golden Globe win, triple victory at HCA
Earlier this month, Edebiri beat some serious competition—Rachel Brosnahan, Quinta Brunson, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, and Natasha Lyonne—to secure the Golden Globe for Best Television Female Actor in a Musical/Comedy Series. Her acceptance speech stole the show, in which she expressed gratitude with humor: "Thank you for answering my crazy, crazy emails!" Edebiri continued her winning streak at the Hollywood Critics Alliance (HCA) awards, clinching an impressive three awards.
Her journey from aspiring teacher to breakout star
Believe it or not, Edebiri initially planned to become a teacher. She attended New York University but switched to a Dramatic Writing major after encountering some "not-so-nice kids." Edebiri then joined the Upright Citizens Brigade—an improv group famous for producing stars like Amy Poehler. She has worked on Netflix's Big Mouth—where she both voices the character Missy Foreman-Greenwald and contributes as a writer. Edebiri has also written for What We Do in the Shadows and The Eric Andre Show.
Meanwhile, do you know about the Irish meme surrounding Edebiri?
Apart from collecting trophies, Edebiri unintentionally sparked an Irish meme about herself during a Letterboxd interview. She jokingly claimed to have lived in Ireland to prepare for her role in The Banshees of Inisherin—a movie she wasn't even part of. Edebiri continued the joke by adopting an Irish accent and calling Ireland her "home nation." Many social media users fell for the prank, praising Edebiri for being Irish, even though she's not actually of Irish descent.
