Ayo Edebiri

Funmilayo "Ayo" Edebiri ( ; born, October 3, 1995) is an American actress, comedian, television writer, and director. She played chef Sydney Adamu in the drama series The Bear (2022–2026), for which she won a Golden Globe Award, two Actor Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as a nomination for a Directors Guild of America Award for directing the episode "Napkins".

As a film actress, she starred in the comedy films Theater Camp and Bottoms (both 2023). In 2025, she followed with the psychological-thrillers Opus and After the Hunt, and the political comedy Ella McCay. She has also voiced roles such as Glory Grant in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023), and Envy in Inside Out 2 (2024).

On television, she had recurring roles in the Apple TV+ period romance series Dickinson (2021), and the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary (2023). Edebiri was a writer and voice actor on the Netflix animated adult comedy series Big Mouth from 2020 to 2025 and was a writer for the FX horror comedy series What We Do in the Shadows in 2022.

On stage, she made her Broadway debut in the revival of the David Auburn play Proof (2026).

Early life and education Edebiri was born in Boston on October 3, 1995, to a Barbadian mother and a father from the Edo ethnic group in Edo State, Nigeria. Short for Funmilayo, her name "Ayo" means "Joy" in Yoruba. She is an only child and grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood. Her family is Pentecostal, and she regularly attended church services with her parents.

She first became interested in comedy through her eighth grade drama class, leading her to join the improv club at Boston Latin School called Yellow Submarine Improv. During her junior year of college, Edebiri began pursuing a comedy career and became an intern at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB). Edebiri made her film debut in the 2020 comedy-drama Shithouse in an uncredited role. She co-hosted a podcast called Iconography with Olivia Craighead, in which guests were interviewed about their shared personal icons.

As a television writer, Edebiri wrote for the sole seasons of The Rundown with Robin Thede (2017–2018) and NBC's Sunnyside (2019). After Jenny Slate stepped down from voicing the character Missy so the role could be played by a Black actress, Edebiri auditioned and was selected as the replacement in August 2020. Her voice acting as the character began at the end of the show's fourth season.

2022–2024: Breakthrough and The Bear

In 2022, Edebiri gained wider prominence as a main cast member on the FX on Hulu series The Bear. She received a Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award, and Independent Spirit Award in addition to nominations from the Gotham Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards for her role as Sydney Adamu, an ambitious young sous chef.

Also in 2022, she became a writer and consulting producer on the FX series What We Do in the Shadows, earning a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Comedy for the episode "Private School". That February, Edebiri contributed original poetry to Eating Salad Drunk, a comedian haiku anthology (edited by author Gabe Henry) that benefited Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit supporting comedians facing financial hardship from the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same year, she appeared in an episode of the Mel Brooks Hulu series History of the World, Part II and the Netflix Black Mirror episode "Joan Is Awful". and April O'Neil in the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Both films were financially successful.

In 2023, she starred in the mockumentary comedy film Theater Camp alongside Molly Gordon and Ben Platt. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews, with many comparing it to the films of Christopher Guest. Later that year, she guest starred in the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary and starred in the teen sex comedy Bottoms opposite Rachel Sennott. Bottoms premiered at South by Southwest. Katie Walsh of The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Sennott and Edebiri deliver two of the funniest performances of the year". She also appeared in the film The Sweet East, directed by Sean Price Williams, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival at the Directors' Fortnight. She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2024 for The Bear, as Quinta Brunson won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary that same year, marking the first year two Black actresses won the two female comedy acting categories in the Primetime Emmys. Edebiri made her directorial debut in The Bears season three episode "Napkins" (2024). To train for communicating with the crew, she shadowed the director of the flashback episode "Fishes", in which her character did not appear. She was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series for the episode.

Edebiri hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) with musical guest Jennifer Lopez in 2024. In a sketch, Edebiri indirectly acknowledged having criticized Lopez previously on the podcast Scam Goddess. She voiced Envy in the Pixar film Inside Out 2 (2024), a sequel to the first film. Edebiri also appeared as a crazed woman in the music video for Tyler, The Creator's 2024 single, "Noid".

2025–present: Career expansion In February 2025, she directed the music video for Clairo's song, "Terrapin", which starred "Weird Al" Yankovic. Edebiri starred in the 2025 A24 horror film Opus, co-starring John Malkovich, and Luca Guadagnino's thriller film After the Hunt (2025), with Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield. She played a supporting role in James L. Brooks's comedy film Ella McCay. In February 2025, it was announced that Edebiri was in talks to star in and write a film based on the children's television show Barney & Friends for A24, Mattel Films, and producer Daniel Kaluuya.

For season three of The Bear, Edebiri received an Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. This makes her the first Black woman ever to be nominated for acting and directing in the comedy categories in the same year. Additionally, she is the youngest Black woman in Emmy history to receive three acting nominations. She is also only the second Black woman to be nominated for comedy directing, after Millicent Shelton for 30 Rock in 2009. Edebiri also co-wrote the acclaimed season four episode of The Bear, "Worms", which was named one of the top 10 TV episodes of the year by The Hollywood Reporter, while TheWrap named Edebiri to its list of the top 10 TV performers of 2025. Edebiri and Lionel Boyce were nominated for an WGA Award for Episodic Comedy for "Worms".

Nigerian filmmakers Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri cast Edebiri in Clarissa, their adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel Mrs Dalloway, which was filmed 2025 in Lagos. Edebiri made her Broadway debut in the revival of the David Auburn play Proof, acting opposite Don Cheadle, Jin Ha, and Kara Young. She received mixed reviews for her performance. Deadline Hollywood described her turn as Catherine as "transfixing" and a "revelation." However, Richard Lawson from The Guardian wrote that she "struggle" with "the more dramatic, plot-advancing mechanics of the play", adding, "Edebiri quickly loses her grasp on the performance, devolving into a jumble of stammers and tics that increasingly isolate us from Catherine’s humanity". Edebiri was nominated for a 2026 Drama League award in the category of Distinguished Performance. Upcoming'''

In May 2026, it was announced that Edebiri would be voice acting for Bong Joon Ho's first animated film, Ally, along with Alex Jayne Go, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, Rachel House, and Werner Herzog. In 2026, it was announced that Edebiri would return to the stage playing Snoopy in an Encores! production of the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown alongside David Hyde Pierce, Jin Ha and Danielle Brooks at New York City Center with performances starting in February 2027.

Personal life Edebiri is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and has frequently canvassed for the organization. She is queer.

During a red carpet interview in 2023, she said in jest that she had played the role of "Jenny the Donkey" in the film The Banshees of Inisherin'' (2022) and in the process developed a deep connection with Ireland. The video quickly went viral amongst Irish social media users, who leaned into the joke by agreeing Edebiri was Irish. She reciprocated and began referring to Ireland as her home country in media interviews, thanking Ireland in award speeches, and generally playing into the idea of being Irish. This continued to increase her popularity in Ireland and led to her "adoption" as an "honorary Irishwoman".

In September 2025, Edebiri signed an open pledge with Film Workers for Palestine, pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."

Acting credits Film Year Title Role Notes 2020 Cicada Nikki Shithouse Emily Uncredited role 2021 How It Ends Stand Up As of Yet Khadijah 2022 Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between Stella 2023 Theater Camp Janet Walch Bottoms Josie The Sweet East Molly Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Glory Grant Voice Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem April O'Neil 2024Omni Loop Paula Campos Inside Out 2 Envy Voice 2025 Opus Ariel Ecton Also executive producer After the Hunt Margaret "Maggie" Resnick Ella McCay Susan 2026 Lorne Herself Documentary Clarissa Young Sally 2027 Voice, in-production

Television

Theater YearTitleRolePlaywrightVenue 2026 Proof Catherine David Auburn Booth Theatre, Broadway 2027 You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Snoopy Clark Gesner New York City Center, Encores!

Music videos +YearSongArtistRoleDirector 2024"Noid" Tyler, the Creator Fan Tyler Okonma 2025 "Terrapin" Clairo Ayo Edebiri "Darling, I" Tyler, the Creator Tyler Okonma

Writing credits

Awards and nominations