Jeremy Allen White took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Sunday night for his portrayal of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on FX’s breakout hit “The Bear.”
White beat out prior category favorites such as Bill Hader and Donald Glover to become the first performer from “The Bear” to earn an individual, non-writing Emmy. He got emotional during his acceptance speech while seemingly referencing his recent divorce.
Allen’s First Emmy Win Caps Breakthrough Year for “The Bear” Star
The win caps a breakthrough year for Allen, who has earned widespread critical acclaim for his intense performance on “The Bear.” The half-hour drama follows intense young chef Carmy as he returns home to Chicago to take over his family’s struggling sandwich shop after a death in the family. [1]
Allen brought a quiet intensity to the role that brought viewers viscerally into the chaos of a small restaurant kitchen. And Carmy’s barely contained volatility made him an unpredictable protagonist audiences loved.
Critics praised Allen’s ability to capture Carmy’s mercurial nature, saying he deftly balanced the character’s capability for warmth and rage from scene to scene.
Allen has said he prepared extensively for “The Bear” by training to become a competent professional chef. He worked 12-hour shifts in restaurant kitchens in the months leading up to filming.
That preparation clearly paid off, as Allen’s performance anchored the freshman series that premiered last June to both critical raves and strong viewership on FX and Hulu.
Allen’s win now puts an exclamation point on the success of “The Bear,” which earlier in the night won for Outstanding Comedy Series.
First Emmy for Allen After Five Nominations Across Two Hit Shows
Though new to lead actor prizes, Allen is no stranger to the Emmys.
He earned four straight Best Supporting Actor nominations from 2016 to 2019 for playing Lip Gallagher on Showtime’s “Shameless.”
Now with his Emmy for “The Bear,” Allen becomes only the third performer to win comedy acting awards for playing different roles on different shows. He joins Ed Asner and Rhea Perlman in that exclusive club. [2]
Allen has credited much of his success to finding stability in his personal life after years of what he has described as chaos.
He married actress Emma Rubin in 2019, though unfortunately their marriage only lasted two years before ending in a divorce finalized just last May.
During his acceptance speech Sunday, Allen made what seemed like a subtle reference to his divorce, saying:
“I want to thank Emma — and Scott — for teaching me kindness and patience.”
While Scott could be a friend, some believe he was referring to Emma’s new partner as a good-natured way to show there are no hard feelings. [3]
Regardless of his personal life, professionally Allen is riding high coming off Emmy night. In addition to his own win, “The Bear” also claimed Emmy gold for:
- Outstanding Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actress (Ayo Edebiri)
- Outstanding Directing
- Outstanding Writing
That amounts to 5 total Emmy wins for the critically-acclaimed first season. [4]
Other History-Making Emmy Moments
Allen’s lead comedy actor prize hardly closed out the historic moments at the 2024 Emmys:
Quinta Brunson Becomes First Black Woman to Win Comedy Lead Actress in 40 Years
Like Allen, Quinta Brunson similarly rode her self-created hit TV series “Abbott Elementary” all the way to an Emmy.
Brunson took home Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series — becoming the first Black woman to do so since Isabel Sanford for “The Jeffersons” in 1981. [5]
In her speech, Brunson emphasized how her historic win hopefully inspires studios to bet on more “everyday” ideas centered around underrepresented leads for future hits.
Ayo Edebiri Wins Supporting Actress for “The Bear”
Brunson’s win came shortly after her co-presenter Ayo Edebiri similarly made Emmy history.
The British-Nigerian actress became only the second Black woman to ever win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — earning the prize for her role as Sydney on “The Bear.”
In an emotional speech, Edebiri thanked FX “for letting a little Black weirdo be on TV,” showing it’s possible to feel “beautiful and Black at the same time.” [6]
LGBTQ Kiss between “The Bear” Actors Goes Viral
In addition to its five Emmy wins, “The Bear” also produced the most memorable unscripted moment of this year’s Emmys. [7]
After the show won for Best Comedy Series, actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach pulled co-star Matty Matheson in for quick kiss on the lips onstage.
Their momentary lip lock instantly went viral, providing a heartwarming display of LGBTQ affection on live TV.
Moss-Bachrach and Matheson don’t actually play love interests on “The Bear.”
But their off-screen friendship runs deep after bonding playing high-stress restaurant workers. Matheson pulling his own weight in the kitchen between takes surely strengthened that bond.
Some chalked it up as a spur-of-the-moment display from the ecstasy of a Best Comedy Series win. But Moss-Bachrach later confirmed the kiss was in fact pre-planned between the friends, making it even more special. [8]
HBO Dominates Overall Emmys Wins by Network
Taking a wider view from the individual Emmys races, HBO enjoyed another big year at the 2024 Emmys: [9]
- With 38 total wins across all categories, HBO topped all other platforms
- The premium network has now won the most Emmys for 9 of the past 10 years
- HBO’s awards leader was drama series “Succession” with 6 wins
- Other top HBO winners included “The White Lotus” (5 wins) and “Euphoria” (4 wins)
Despite HBO holding the most Emmys glory, 2024 belonged to the incredible freshman class of acclaimed new series making their mark:
- “Abbott Elementary” – 3 wins
- “The Bear” – 5 wins
- “Severance” – 2 wins
- “Squid Game” – 6 wins
- “White Lotus” – 5 wins
What’s Next for Emmys and Jeremy Allen White
After his huge Emmy night, Allen figures to be very selective about what roles he tackles in the future after reaching leading man status in 2024.[10]
He likely won’t be hurting for offers after such a star-making couple years.
As for “The Bear,” FX has already renewed it for a second season after the buzzy first installment.
With Carmy and the crew of “The Original Beef of Chicagoland” set to return with all the creators coming back, expectations will be sky high for Season 2 after such an acclaimed first run.
Given the first season racked up Emmy wins across writing, directing, acting, and Outstanding Comedy Series — the biggest honor of them all — “The Bear” will certainly be among the early 2025 Emmy favorites this time next year. [11]
Table: 2024 Emmy Wins Leaderboard By Network/Platform [12]
| Network | # of Wins |
|---|---|
| HBO | 38 |
| Netflix | 26 |
| Hulu | 20 |
| Apple TV+ | 12 |
| ABC | 6 |
| FX | 5 |
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