Taylor Swift Responds to 'The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bachrach After Surprise Shout Out

Taylor Swift, Ebon Moss-Bachrach

At the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, The Bear actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach gave an unexpected shoutout to Taylor Swift during his acceptance speech—and the pop superstar responded!

On Sunday, Jan. 14, Moss-Bachrach won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Richie Jerimovich on the hit Hulu series. The actor thanked a handful of people who helped make the moment a reality. However, few viewers expected Swift's name to come out of his mouth.

"I've gotta thank my two special scene partners this year, Olivia Colman and Taylor Swift," Moss-Bachrach said before he thanked his wife and daughters for their ongoing support.

On Monday, Jan. 15, Swift took to the comments of a Rolling Stone X post about Moss-Bachrach's speech to express gratitude for the name-drop. "Congratulations!! 🫶🤭🙏," she wrote.

Plenty of folks still wondered: What the heck does Swift have to do with The Bear?

For those who aren't avid fans of the series, Swift does not appear in the show per se—however, her song "Love Story" plays in a memorable scene featuring Moss-Bachrach.

The Season 2 episode focused on Moss-Bachrach's character, Richie, who participated in a training retreat at a top-notch restaurant with Chef Terry (Colman's character). Later in the episode, Richie snagged tickets to a Taylor Swift concert for his daughter and learned his ex-wife was engaged to someone else. Consequently, Richie jammed out to "Love Story" as he drove home.

So although Swift wasn't there in person to help Moss-Bachrach win the Critics Choice Award, she was certainly there in spirit.

Next: Is 'The Bear' Based on a True Story? Your Fact-Versus-Fiction Guide to the Series