Everyone's thirsting over Jeremy Allen White—here's what to know about 'The Bear' hunk

What was a streaming sleeper hit has become a flat-out smash: the Jeremy Allen White-led FX/Hulu show The Bear—about a young fine-dining chef who returns to his native Chicago to take over his late brother's sandwich shop—has garnered both coveted awards and cultural clout since debuting last June. 

And while the show's success is no doubt thanks to the talented cast's hyper-realistic depiction of the hustle, chaos and trauma that it takes to run a professional kitchen, its popularity is also due to the sheer thirst that White has been inspiring all across social media. He's been dubbed "the working woman's Timothée Chalamet" and, more strangely, "Ketamine Gene Wilder." But the attraction for White's sexy onscreen chef is damn near boiling over. 

Here's what to know about Jeremy Allen White and where you've seen him before. (Hint: Chicago.)

Who is Jeremy Allen White from 'The Bear'?

Though he's best known onscreen for representing Chicago, Illinois, Jeremy Allen White is an American actor hailing from Brooklyn, New York. 

He has been acting since he was a child, being a graduate of NYC's prestigious Professional Performing Arts School and scoring his first TV and film roles at the age of 15, in the 2006 coming-of-age dramedy Beautiful Ohio and in the legal drama Conviction. 

For his performance in The Bear, White has earned a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2023. He also scored a Critics Choice nomination for his work in the long-running Showtime drama Shameless in 2014. 

Jeremy Allen White 'The Bear' role: who does he play?

Meet Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto: White's character on The Bear is a fictional James Beard Award-winning fine-dining chef tasked with running his family's rundown sandwich shop, The Original Beef of Chicagoland, after its former owner, his brother Michael, dies by suicide. 

Carmy attempts to modernize and elevate the joint—while trying to navigate the financial mess his brother left behind—much to the chagrin of its rough-and-tumble kitchen staff. Rounding out the cast are Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Dropout, Girls), Abby Elliott (Saturday Night Live), Ayo Edebiri (Big Mouth) and Lionel Boyce (Loiter Squad).

How old is Jeremy Allen White?

Born February 17, 1991 (yes, that makes him an Aquarius), White is currently 32 years old. 

Jeremy Allen White movies and TV shows

White isn't new to playing a brooding Chicagoan: he portrayed Lip Gallagher on the Showtime series Shameless from 2011 to 2021.

Elsewhere, you've seen him in series like Homecoming and in films like Movie 43, The Rental, Viena and the Fantomes, and The Birthday Cake.

Is Jeremy Allen White related to Gene Wilder?

Nope. Despite the fact that many people think White looks like a younger version of the late, great Willy Wonka star (frankly, we don't see it), there is no relation between the two actors. 

Jeremy Allen White divorce: who was he married to?

Speaking of relations, Jeremy Allen White was married to fellow actor, Addison Timlin White from 2019 to 2023, having first met in high school when they were 14. 

Timlin filed for divorce in May 2023, and though she did not cite causes for the split, she did post a revealing Instagram on Mother's Day, writing:  “Being a single mom is not how I pictured it. It is so fucking hard. It is all out covered in s—t crying on the floor kick you in the shins screaming with no sound coming out hard. It’s not the natural order of things. It can be exhausting but more than anything it can just be so lonely. When something magical happens and you have to tell yourself ‘don’t forget this’ because there’s no witness by your side.” She later changed the caption to read "co-parent" instead of "single mom."

The exes share two children: daughters Ezer Billie, born October 2018, and Dolores Wild, born December 2020. Fun fact: Dakota Johnson is the girls' godmother!

Jeremy Allen White Instagram: what's his handle?

You can find the actor on the social media platform at the handle @jeremyallenwhitefinally, where he has nearly three million followers. 

Is Jeremy still friends with the 'Shameless' cast?

"I love Shameless so much. I love everybody that was a part of it, and the experience was incredible," White told GQ. 

After being on a show for a decade, it's inevitable that you bond with the folks you're working with, and it seems like White is still close with his Shameless family—a quick peek at cast members' Instagram pages shows them frequently spending time together. 

See Jeremy Allen White in season two of The Bear, streaming on Hulu beginning Thursday, June 22.