The Curious Case of Ayo Edebiri: Is She Really Irish?
A deep dive into the trending meme of Ayo Edebiri being referred to as 'Ireland's own' and the truth behind her supposed Irish heritage.
The Rise of Ayo Edebiri
It's officially awards season, and one of the industry's biggest rising stars is Ayo Edebiri. The 28-year-old actor has been busy all year, from The Bear Season 2, to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Theatre Camp, Bottoms, and more.
Last week, Edebiri won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Comedy Series for her work in The Bear, and fans took to social media to congratulate the 'Irish' actress.
But the revelation that Edebiri, who clearly has an American accent, is Irish, may be confusing to some people. So is Edebiri actually Irish?
The Irish Meme: Unveiling the Truth
No, Ayo Edebiri is not actually from Ireland. She's from Boston, USA, and this whole Irish thing is an elaborate comedic meme, which the internet seems to be playing along with.
The actor did an interview with Letterboxd last year, where she spoke in an Irish accent about her performance in Irish-set movie 'The Banshees of Inisherin' - which is also a joke, she doesn't appear in that film - as 'Jenny the Donkey,' claiming that she lived in Ireland 'on all fours' for four months to prepare for the role.
Edebiri is well-known amongst her fans for publicly joking about different movies, and of course, this particular joke spread across social media, with those actually from Ireland claiming her as one of their own.
Embracing the Irish Heritage
The meme really took flight during Edebiri's win at the Golden Globes, with fans congratulating her alongside fellow awarded actor Cillian Murphy, who is actually Irish.
But what does the newfound Irish Princess think of the running gag? Well, according to her TikTok account, she's fully accepted her heritage, as she humorously addresses the meme.
Ayo Tik-tok comment
So, with Ireland more than happy to accept Edebiri as their own, perhaps we may see a movie collaboration with fellow Irish acting stars in the future, such as Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott, or Saoirse Ronan. Fingers crossed!
