A prolific artist being reduced to her reaction to her male coworker in an underwear commercial—you hate to see it.
In case you missed it, last weekend marked the return of the Golden Globes to primetime television, following a year of reckoning in the entertainment industry. Ayo Edebiri accepted the award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series for her role as Sydney Adamu in The Bear, alongside her co-star Jeremy Allen White who took home the Globe for the male counterpart to the same award.
Despite Edebiri’s prolific year as an actor—with stellar performances in The Bear, Bottoms, Theatre Camp and Abbott Elementary—several interviewers could not help but ask her to react to her co-star’s latest Calvin Klein commercial, featuring White stripped down to his underwear in classic Calvin Klein fashion. The ad drew lots of attention online with fans thirsting over his body, and TikToker @HaleyyBaylee even thanked White for his campaign on behalf of “all women on the internet” when she ran into him at the Globes.
In an interview with Access Hollywood alongside her Abbott co-star Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri was shown the image of White’s Calvin Klein collab and asked to react to it. Visibly taken aback, she reminded the interviewer that that is, in fact, her coworker. While Edebiri kept a calm and collected tone, it is unfortunate that the moment Access Hollywood decided to promote from the interview was one where a prolific artist was being reduced to her reaction to her male coworker in an underwear commercial.
A quick Google search of Ayo Edebiri reveals how Jeremy Allen White’s win and Calvin Klein campaign have become intertwined with—and even overshadowed—Edebiri and her news.
And it didn’t happen just once! When the cast of The Bear gathered for interviews after collecting their wins for the night, another interviewer for Extra brought out a large printed copy of White’s campaign to get reactions from the cast. While it may have seemed funny to the interviewer, Edebiri was quick to move the portrait off-screen, proceeding to remind the interviewer that to an actor, the Globes are a “work event” and should be treated as such.
Not only does Edebiri shut down misogynistic questions with grace, but her reminders to the interviewers that award shows are her place of work is an essential reframing of the narrative that actors are supposed to provide entertaining anecdotes and reactions on the red carpet, especially when asked intensely personal or inappropriate questions.
It is time we begin to see women actors for their talent, not for their relationships with their co-stars.
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