If my (rhetorical) kid called and said they were doing improv open mics during ungodly hours in the Village to jumpstart their comedy career, I’d probably say, “In this economy?†Ayo Edebiri’s parents probably thought similarly. At the 2023 Emmy Awards on January 15, 2024, The Bear breakout and Ireland’s chief export accepted the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series prize for her role in the most anxiety-inducing “comedy†of the decade. (Oh, a show that necessitates Xanax is funny to you?) Edebiri dedicated her speech to her parents, who stuck with her when she revealed her then-potentially nightmarish career goals.
“I’m so incredibly grateful for this for many reasons, but the main one is this show is about found family and real family,†she told the room after it erupted in cheers over her win. “My parents are here tonight, and I’m making them sit kind of far from me cause I’m a bad kid. I love you guys so much, thank you for loving me, and letting me feel beautiful and Black and proud of all of that. Probably not a dream to immigrate to this country and have your child say ‘I wanna do improv.’â€
For the sake of her parents, who probably suffered more anxiety than I would during a Bear episode, at least your daughter has a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and dental insurance now, per her reveal in an E! red carpet interview with Laverne Cox earlier in the evening. That was the dream all along.