Find Out Who The Bear's Ayo Edebiri Is Playing on Abbott Elementary

The Bear's Ayo Edebiri is joining the cast of Abbott Elementary in a pivotal role. Find out who she's playing and when you can expect to see her.

By Daniel Trainor Feb 07, 2023 12:52 AMTags
Watch: The Bear's Ayo Edebiri Is Joining Abbott Elementary

Ayo Edebiri is getting out of the kitchen.

The actress, who plays Sydney on FX's The Bear, has joined the second season of ABC's Abbott Elementary, E! News can confirm.

Ayo will play Janine's (Quinta Brunson) often discussed, yet-to-be seen sister Ayesha on the Feb. 8 episode of the Emmy-winning comedy.

Quinta, who also created Abbott Elementary, celebrated the casting on Twitter Feb. 6, posting a photo of herself, Ayo and Janelle James, who plays Principal Ava Coleman on the show. The actress captioned the photo alongside two heart emojis, "new episode this Wednesday."

While Ayesha will only appear briefly in the episode, titled "Valentine's Day," the network says Ayo will return later in the season for a "larger storyline."

In a sneak peek of the episode shared by Entertainment Weekly, Janine prepares for a FaceTime call with Ayesha on her birthday, telling Jacob (Chris Perfetti) that her sister can be "really intense," "over-the-top," and "nosy."

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2023 TV Premiere Dates

However, once Ayesha picks up the phone, she comes across as respectful, soft-spoken and kind—nothing like Janine made her out to be.

While most of Janine's family tree continues to remain a mystery, the second grade teacher has hinted in the past that her sister is a bit of a wild card. Janine has also mentioned her mother on multiple occasions, but it's usually in reference to their strained relationship or because she isn't responding to Janine's text messages.

Here's hoping the introduction of Ayesha starts to peel back those layers.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

But have no fear, Bear fans—Ayo's trip to Abbott won't prevent her from appearing in the show's upcoming highly-anticipated second season.

In fact, Ayo recently said she's got big plans for the future of Syndey, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and the rest of the crew—especially after Carmy's cash windfall at the end of season one.

"They've gotten all this cash, they have a lot of big ideas and they have each other, which based on the [first] season can be really great and also really chaotic," Ayo exclusively told E! News in January. "So, just following those natural ups and downs. Getting to see where they go as they enter this new venture will be pretty exciting."

Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.

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