It kind of feels like 27-year-old Boston actor Ayo Edebiri is everywhere right now – from gaining prominence in her role as Sydney Adumu in Hulu's The Bear alongside Jeremy Allen White, to her roles in hit shows like Black Mirror, Big Mouth, and Abbott Elementary. Her upcoming film alongside Kaia Gerber and Rachel Sennott, Bottoms, is looking like it's set to become one of the year's biggest comedy hits, and she's become something of a muse for British couturier Thom Browne – sitting front row at his recent Paris Fashion Week show.
In the wake of Edebiri's burgeoning popularity, we thought now would be as good a time as ever to fill you in on the actress and comedian's upbringing, career and fashion influences – and of course, what's up next for the rising star. Here's everything you need to know about Ayo Edebiri, below...
On her upbringing and career...
Edebiri was born in Boston, Massachusetts, her mother emigrated from Barbados and her father emigrated from Nigeria. Edebiri first became interested in comedy through eighth grade drama class, after which she joined the improv club at Boston Latin School. After receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Teaching from New York University, she began to pursue a career in comedy – appearing on Comedy Central's Up Next, and her own scripted digital series Ayo and Rachel Are Single, which she wrote with friend and fellow comedian Rachel Sennott.
Edebiri gained prominence in the acting scene with her 2022 role as ambitious and headstrong sous chef Sydney Adamu in the Hulu series The Bear. For her role, she received an Independent Spirit Award and nominations from the Gotham Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards.
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On her fashion and relationship with Thom Browne...
Edebiri and Browne's relationship started when the actress donned a Thom Browne skirt suit during a photoshoot with The Bear co-star Jeremy Allen White – falling in love with the designer's collections and coming to rely on his looks for events and red carpets. Edebiri wore custom Thom Browne to the Emmy Awards, and accompanied Browne to the CFDAs (his first as the organisation's new chairman).
On Monday, Edebiri was all smiles in the front row at Browne's first-ever couture show at the Palais Garnier in Paris.
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“It’s been a very wild year and I feel like getting to wear Thom has been weirdly a nice anchor,” Edebiri recently told W Magazine. “Just having these clothes that feel so structured and cool but also creative and free.” Browne also created a custom chef's jacket for Edebiri's character, Sydney, to wear in season 2 of The Bear.
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On what's coming up next...
Season 2 of The Bear will be streaming in Australia later this month, and Edebiri is gearing up for the release of her film Bottoms,a queer fight club comedy led by Rachel Sennott and directed by Shiva Baby's Emma Seligman.
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As a writer, Edebiri also joined the writing staff of the animated sitcom Big Mouth in 2019 and later took on the role of Missy Foreman-Greenwald in 2020, for which the 7th and 8th seasons are expected later this year and early next.
