The BearEmmy Winner Ayo Edebiri Praises 'Found Family,' Jokes About Not Sitting by Her 'Real' Parents at Event

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:FOX

FOX

Ayo Edebiriwon big at the 75th annualPrimetime Emmy Awards!

TheBearstar was named the year’s outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, making it her first Emmy ever.

“This is a show about found family and real family, and my parents are here tonight,” she said in her speech. “I’m making them sit kind of far away from me because I’m a bad kid. But I love you so much. Thank you so much for loving me and letting me feel beautiful and Black and proud of all of that. I just love you so much.”

“Probably not a dream to immigrate to this country and to have your kid be like, ‘I want to do improv,'” she joked. “But you’re real ones.”

Edebiri earned her Emmy nomination this year for her portrayal of Sydney Adamu in the first seasons of FX’s breakout hit about a struggling Chicago restaurant. AlongsideThe BearcostarsJeremy Allen White, who plays Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as cousin Richie, Edebiri’s Sydney has been fighting tooth and nail to keep the restaurant alive — and help transform it into the vision Carmy and his late brother (Jon Bernthal) had for it.

The Bearscored big this year in other categories, too: White and Moss-Bachrach also earned their first nominations in 2023.

In the supporting actress in a comedy series,Abbott ElementaryandTed Lassoled the category with two nominations each, withAbbott’sJanelle JamesandSheryl Lee Ralph, plusTed Lasso’sJuno TempleandHannah Waddingham, in the running againstShrinkingstarJessica WilliamsandThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’sAlex Borstein.

Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson in Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’.Philippe Antonello/Prime Video

Philippe Antonello/Prime Video

Borstein, a 10-time Emmy nominee andthree-time winner, once again earned a nod this year for her role as brash comedy manager Susie Myerson inThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.TheRachel Brosnahan-led Prime Video hit airedits fifth and final seasonlast year, and both Brosnahan, 33, and Borstein, 52, closed out the run of their beloved characters with nominations, with Brosnahan earning her sixth nomination for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.

In the world ofMrs. Maisel, their characters closed out their stories together, too, with their years-long fallout coming to an end in a final flash-forward scene that showed an older Midge (Brosnahan) and Susie reconciled at last.

Borstein was also a double nominee this year, as she once scored a nod for outstanding character voice-over performance for her long-running role as Lois Griffin onFamily Guy. She’s previously been nominated in the category five times, winning in 2018.

Pamela Littky/ABC via Getty Images

Abbott Elementary’s mockumentary-style chronicle of a Philadelphia public elementary school led to nominations for both James and Ralph.

James stars as inept principal Ava Coleman, for which she was also nominated in this category in 2022, whebn the breakout hit sitcom racked up an impressiveseven nominationsfor its freshman season.

ABC/Gilles Mingasson

Ralph — who portrays veteran teacher Barbara Howard —took home the win in 2022and performed a verse from jazz singer Diane Reeves’ 1993 song “Endangered Species” as she accepted her first-ever Emmy and made history as the second Black woman (afterJackée Harry) to win the category.

“I am an endangered species, but I sing no victim song,” she crooned, holding out several words for emphasis as names of those she wished to thank flashed across the screen and earned her a standing ovation. “I am a woman, I am an artist, and I know where my voice belongs.”

She then made a short speech, thanking her family andAbbottcreatorQuinta Brunsonand delivering an inspiring message to viewers: “To anyone who has ever ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t wouldn’t couldn’t come true I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like. This is what striving looks like, and don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”

With a whopping 21 nominations this year,Ted Lassowas among the shows that dominated this year’s Emmys, and Temple’s Keeley Jones made her way up in the PR world in the Apple T series’third and (seemingly) final season.

Waddingham took home this very awardin 2021, tearfully thanking creator and starJason Sudeikis.

AmongTed Lasso’s other nominations this year were Sudeikis in the outstanding lead actor in a comedy series field,Phil Dunstervying for outstanding support actor in a comedy series and a triple threat in Harriet Walter, Becky Ann Baker and Sarah Niles among theoutstanding guest actress in a comedy seriesnods. Sam Richardson scored on Jan. 6,taking home the Emmy for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series.

Ted Lassowas among the 2023 nominees for outstanding comedy series, outstanding writing for a comedy series and outstanding directing for a comedy series.

As the resident happy therapist breaking up the bad moods and sometimes over-the-line humor of colleaguesJason SegelandHarrison Ford, she previously told PEOPLE thatthe role solidified her love of acting.

Williams broke onto the scene as a senior correspondent onThe Daily ShowwithJon Stewartwhen she was just 22 and has since starred inBooksmartand theFantastic Beastsseries.

The comedian was not the only nom thatShrinkingearned — show creator Segel also earned a nod for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.

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SeePEOPLE’s full coverageof the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they’re broadcasting live on Fox from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

source: people.com