Ayo Edebiri

Ayo Edebiri was born on October 3, 1995, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother immigrated from Barbados, and her father from Edo State, Nigeria. Raised in a Pentecostal household, Edebiri developed an early interest in comedy through an eighth-grade drama class, leading her to join the improv club at Boston Latin School. She attended New York University, initially pursuing a teaching degree before transitioning to dramatic writing. During her junior year, she began her comedy career, interning at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Her early work included performing stand-up on Comedy Central’s Up Next and co-creating and co-starring in the scripted digital series “Ayo and Rachel Are Single” (2020) with Rachel Sennott. She also co-hosted the podcast “Iconography,” where guests discussed their personal icons.

Edebiri’s career rapidly progressed through her writing contributions to television series such as “The Rundown with Robin Thede” and NBC’s “Sunnyside.” In 2020, she joined the writing staff of “Big Mouth” for its fourth season and took over the voice role of Missy Foreman-Greenwald after Jenny Slate stepped down, appearing in 42 episodes until 2025. She further showcased her writing and acting talents in Apple TV+’s “Dickinson” (2021), where she worked with Christopher Storer, the future creator of “The Bear.” She made her film debut with an uncredited role in the comedy-drama “Shithouse” (2020) and a supporting role in “Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between” (2022).

Her breakthrough came in 2022 as a main cast member in the FX on Hulu series “The Bear,” playing ambitious sous chef Sydney Adamu. This role earned her widespread critical acclaim, including a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She also expanded her roles into directing, making her directorial debut with “The Bear” episode “Napkins” (2024), for which she received a Directors Guild of America Award nomination. Edebiri has lent her voice to animated films and series such as “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) as Glory Grant, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (2023) as April O’Neil, and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” (2024) as Envy. Her filmography includes starring roles in “Theater Camp” (2023), “Bottoms” (2023), and upcoming projects like “Opus” (2025) and “After the Hunt” (2025), demonstrating her versatility and consistent impact in both comedic and dramatic roles across various platforms.