The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri addresses ‘frustrating’ fan theories

The Bear star Ayo Edebiri has responded to “frustrating” fan theories about a possible romance between her character and Jeremy Allen White’s series lead.

The 27-year-old actor stars opposite White, 32, in the FX workplace drama comedy about chef Carmy, whose life ambition is to revamp his family’s Chicago sandwich shop into a fine-dining experience.

Following the second season’s recent summer premiere, there has been a lot of chatter on X (formerly known as Twitter) from those rooting for Carmy and Sydney to have a relationship.

Many of them have desperately tried to read between the lines to find a budding romance between the two, which cast members have previously said will never happen.

“On the third episode of The Bear [season two] and Carmy is definitely in love with Sydney,” one fan tweeted.

Acknowledging that shipping is an inevitable “part of a show’s culture”, Edebiri admitted that she finds it “frustrating”.

“I don’t think they’re going to get what they want,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview conducted before the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strike. “It’s really not our thought process when we’re making the show.”

While Edebiri said she certainly loves “this little f***ed up guy in the kitchen”, she assured fans that their relationship is platonic.

Molly Gordon, the show’s newest addition as Carmy’s actual girlfriend, Claire, also told the publication that she doesn’t subscribe to these theories.

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However, she credited White and Edebiri’s “dynamic onscreen that isn’t romantic, but that feels charged and sexy” for igniting an increasing Carmy-Sydney fanbase.

The latest season follows the kitchen crew as they successfully transform the formerly rundown hole-in-the-wall eatery into a modern, fancy, Michelin-star hopeful.

It has garnered critical and fan acclaim, currently holding a near-perfect 99 per cent on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. In addition, it landed a whopping 13 nominations at the forthcoming Emmys – which have officially been postponed until 2024 due to the strikes.

Find the full list of 2023 Emmy nominations here.

“As frenetic and intense as ever, this chef drama sizzles in the skillet,” The Independent’s Nick Hilton wrote in his four-star review of The Bear’s season two.

The Bear is available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK.