With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter.
Ayo Edebiri may have been nominated for her lead role in The Bear at the 2024 Emmys—cohosted by Dan Levy and Eugene Levy—on Sept. 15, but the breakout star had her mind on a viral TikTok sound while on the red carpet at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old gushed over one celebrity run-in she had on the carpet that made a lasting impression.
“I absolutely freaked out when I saw Reba McEntire and I really, really am proud of myself for not singing the entire theme song,” Edebiri admitted to with Laverne Cox on Live From E!: Emmys, before breaking into the now-TikTok-famous lyrics from the Reba theme song, “A single mom who works real hard, who loves her kids and never stops.”
As she aptly ended the interview, “Hey, I’m a survivor!”
McEntire and her costar Melissa Peterman, who helped cohost E!’s Countdown to the Red Carpet show, are once again teaming up as presenters at the Primetime Emmys.
And Edebiri, who previously won the Outstanding Support Actress in a Comedy Series in 2023 for her work on The Bear, is now nominated in the lead actress category for her role as Sydney Adamu on the hit series costarring Jeremy Allen White.
Edebiri wowed in a strapless custom Bottega Veneta red, black, and cream dotted gown.
“I started out doing standup comedy. My uniform was big pant, big shirt, that was my life,” she quipped of her differing looks. “It definitely was a costume still, but things have certainly changed, so it’s nice to play in this space.”
And Edebiri is up against her friend Quinta Brunson in this year’s category. She joked about the tense competition between herself and the Abbott Elementary creator and star.
“I think I’ve really held my own and I’ve been really lovely and cordial. And she’s nasty. She’s a nasty woman, you can tell,” Edebiri joked of Brunson before admitting. “No, it’s been really amazing and surreal… For me, I’m really just happy to be there. It’s a real, real nice group to be in.”
For more stars at the 76th Annual Emmy Awards, read on.
Nicola Coughlan
In custom Prabal Gurung.
Ayo Edebiri
In custom Bottega Veneta.
Jennifer Aniston
In Oscar de la Renta and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Sofía Vergara
In custom Dolce & Gabbana.
Selena Gomez
In custom Ralph Lauren.
Reese Witherspoon
In Christian Dior.
Quinta Brunson
In Georges Chakra FW24 Couture and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Jeremy Allen White
In custom Calvin Klein.
Elizabeth Debicki
In Christian Dior, De Beers jewelry, Vacheron Constantin watch and Aldo shoes.
Meryl Streep
In Alexander McQueen.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph
In Sophie Couture and Bulgari jewelry.
Holland Taylor
In custom Louis Vuitton.
Sarah Paulson
In Prada.
Dan Levy
In Loewe SS25 RTW and Jacques Marie Mage glasses.
Abby Elliott
In Monique Lhuillier and custom KAY Jewelers and Monique Lhuillier earrings and ring.
Viola Davis
In custom Zuhair Murad.
Juno Temple
In vintage Roberto Cavalli.
Maya Rudolph
In Chloé FW24 RTW.
Niecy Nash-Betts
In custom Christian Siriano with Le Vian and Kallati jewelry.
Jean Smart
In custom Laura Basci.
Hannah Einbinder
In custom Louis Vuitton.
Mindy Kaling
In Gayrav Gupta SS24 Couture and Wempe jewelry.
Jonathan Bailey
In Giorgio Armani, Santoni shoes, and DeBeers jewelry.
Lily Gladstone
In custom Rodarte and Wempe jewelry.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
In custom Ateliee Versace.
Janelle James
In Marchesa.
Brie Larson
In custom Chanel.
Richard Gadd
In Loewe.
Jessica Gunning
In custom Rodarte.
Reba McEntire
In Roberto Cavalli.