Ayo Edebiri Switches to Lead Actress Comedy Categories for ‘The Bear’ Season 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
“The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri is nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for supporting actress in a comedy for the first season of the hit FX series. However, she’ll be switching it up for the show’s second season, which aired in June.
Edebiri, who plays young sous chef Sydney Adamu, will be submitted for lead actress (comedy) categories for her work in Season 2 of “The Bear,” Variety has learned exclusively. That will include the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, both slated for January, and the next Emmy Awards season, which recognizes achievements in series that aired between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. Since the first season of “The Bear” debuted at the very beginning of last year’s eligibility period, Edebiri will compete for supporting in the upcoming Emmys ceremony on Jan. 15, 2024.
More from Variety
Read the latest Golden Globes predictions on Variety Awards Circuit in the film and television categories.
Next season’s Emmy race is expected to feature lead comedy actresses Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) and Jean Smart (“Hacks”), but this year’s Hollywood strikes have shaken up the TV production schedule. Edebiri’s move to lead actress reflects multiple other supporting contenders who recently transitioned to lead status, including “Succession” stars Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook, who are both nominated for the final season of the HBO drama.
Due to the eligibility calendar for the Critics Choice and Golden Globes, Edebiri will face off against a different crop of actresses. This year, she takes on current nominees Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”), Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and Bridget Everett (“Somebody Somewhere”). Her competitors for next year’s awards will include Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”) and Sarah Jessica Parker (“And Just Like That”). Meanwhile, the Screen Actors Guild Awards do not divide lead and supporting nominees for television series.
Edebiri has had an incredible year, with two voice performances in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” as well as her starring role in the MGM indie comedy “Bottoms.” She and her “Bottoms” co-star Rachel Sennott seek recognition in lead actress comedy categories for film at the Globes and all other eligible awards ceremonies. Plus, this season Edebiri has been submitted for supporting actress for her work in Searchlight Pictures’ comedy film “Theater Camp.”
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.