Ayo Edebiri

Ayo Edebiri was all over the place in 2023, much to our delight. The actress is quickly making waves in the industry and cementing her place as an icon. She's been working hard in Hollywood as a writer, comedian, and actress since the 2010s, but 2023 is when her career really took off and it's been so special to see the praise and love she's been getting from fans and industry peers alike. Not only does Edebiri come across as a genuine and delightful human being, but you can tell from the way her co-stars talk about her that people truly love collaborating with her. It's a one-of-a-kind type of charisma that cannot be manufactured—you either have it or you don't, and this 28-year-old star has it in spades.

Edebiri’s had a monumental year, with some of her biggest award wins yet. The actress took home both a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy for her excellent work on the Hulu series The Bear, which she stars in alongside Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the character Sydney Adamu. On the film side of things, Edebiri was everywhere, notably in the hilarious R-rated queer comedy film Bottoms, which received near-universal acclaim, particularly thanks to her performance which included some amazing improv, plus it helps that her chemistry with co-star Rachel Sennott was pitch perfect. Edebiri also starred in one of the year's other most acclaimed movies, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, where she voiced Glory Grant. Spider-Man is nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. The actress was also part of Theater Camp, a highly praised mockumentary that didn't receive quite as much attention as her other projects last year, but is still considered one of the top independent films of 2023 and she lent her voice to April Grant in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, yet another acclaimed 2023 feature. Overall, it seemed like everything Edebiri touched last year turned to gold. Not only is she very talented, but she seems to have a great head on her shoulders and knows what kind of projects to pick to best showcase her abilities.

Coming off of a landmark year and a historical award win (she and Abbott Elementary actress Quinta Brunson were the first two Black women to win Lead and Supporting Actress for Comedy in the same year at the Emmys), don't expect Edebiri's career to slow down anytime soon! She just hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time and will return for The Bear season 3, which will be released in June. We expect to see her nominated once again at this year's Emmys for her work on The Bear season 2. You'll also hear her returning to voice Missy in the upcoming eighth and final season of Netflix adult animated series Big Mouth and she has multiple films in the works, such as the buzzy A24 horror film Opus, also starring John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, and Amber Midthunder, and the comedy Ella McCay from Academy Award-winning director James L. Brooks.