From Jamie Lee Curtis to Will Poulter, Breaking Down Every Surprise Cameo in The Bear Se

“The Bear” Season 2 showed that there can never be too many cameo cooks in the kitchen. From Jamie Lee Curtis starring as Jeremy Allen White’s frenzied mom to Will Poulter as a chef in Copenhagen and even the Sarah Paulson-John Mulaney power couple, there’s surely no shortage of stars in this season of FX’s restaurant dramedy.

Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna Berzatto
Jamie Lee Curtis surprised audiences as Donna Berzatto, mother to Carmy, Mikey and Sugar, who is introduced in a flashback of a frenzied Christmas Eve dinner. In this role, Curtis has a perpetual cigarette and a drinking problem. She’s all over the place, and by all over the place, that includes driving her car through the Berzatto’s living room mid-Christmas Eve dinner.
John Mulaney as Steven
John Mulaney uses his comedic talents as Michelle Berzatto’s boyfriend Steven to bring a bit of levity to such a tense family meal. In “Fishes,” Steven offers a momentous monologue in lieu of saying grace before dinner, but unfortunately, he can only do so much to quell the temper of the Berzattos.
Sarah Paulson as Michelle Berzatto
Paulson stars as Michelle, cousin to Carmy, Sugar and Mikey. She’s more toned down than the rest of the Berzattos and has a one-on-one moment with Carmen where she offers him a place to stay in New York if he ever wants to get away from the chaos that is his family. The “Bird Box” and “American Horror Story” actor also shares a quick joint with the Fak cousins during the Christmas Eve dinner.
Jon Bernthal as Michael Berzatto
Bernthal reprises his role as Michael “Mikey” Berzatto, brother of Carmy and Sugar who is revealed in Season 1 to have died by suicide. “The Walking Dead” actor appears predominantly in “Fishes” where he gets into a heated argument with Lee suspended on Mikey’s “will-he-won’t-he throw the dinner fork” act.
Bob Odenkirk as Uncle Lee
“Better Call Saul’s” Odenkirk appears as Lee, who is one of the three individuals that make up mysterious “KBL” Mikey marked in the books before he died. They call him Uncle Lee, but as Carmy puts it: “Oof. That’s not our uncle.” He fights with Mikey in “Fishes” and ends up getting a dinner fork thrown at his head.
Gillian Jacobs as Tiffany Jerimovich
“Community’s” Jacobs stars as Richie’s now ex-wife Tiffany, who is mentioned throughout Season 1 and finally appears, pregnant, in the “Fishes” flashback. She spends most of the episode lying down waiting for some brioschi to calm her stomach.
Will Poulter as Chef Luca
“Maze Runner’s” Will Poulter stars as Chef Luca, a former co-worker of Carmy’s now living in Copenhagen, Denmark. Marcus travels to Copenhagen to meet and train with him, where it’s revealed that Poulter’s character was always trying to be a better chef than Carmy — but couldn’t — so Marcus calls him the Scottie Pippen of the kitchen. At the end of Season 2, Poulter sends Marcus the sign with the motto “every second counts.”
Olivia Colman as Chef Terry
“The Favourite” star Olivia Colman briefly appears in Season 2 as Terry, but her impact certainly exceeds her screen time. She is the chef of a three-star restaurant and former mentor to Carmy. While Richie “stages” at her restaurant, she teaches him art for art’s sake in the form of peeling mushrooms — an unnecessary step in cooking that shows diners the care and effort put into their meal. Colman shares a story about her father that implies the origins of “The Bear’s” recurring motto “every second counts.”
Sarah Ramos as Jessica
“Parenthood’s” Sarah Ramos appears in “The Bear” as Jessica, a methodical staffer who teaches Richie the intricacies of being an excellent server. She hammers in the importance of listening and tending to a diner’s needs without having to be asked.
Donnie Madia
Real-life Chicago restaurateur of One Off Hospitality Donnie Madia cameos as a chef who gives Sydney a couple of lessons on what it takes to get a Michelin star. He emphasizes the need for a good partner, which looms over Syd throughout Season 2 as Carmy’s commitment to the Bear wavers.
Joel McHale as Eleven Park Madison Chef
“Community’s” Joel McHale returns in Season 2 as the abusive chef of Eleven Madison Park. In Season 1, it’s revealed that he constantly berated Carmy while he worked at the restaurant, telling him he was never going to be good enough. He appears at a table in the corner of the Bear on the restaurant’s opening night.
Alex Moffat as Josh
“Saturday Night Live’s” Alex Moffat is one of three of Tina’s new hires in the Bear kitchen. Moffat’s skills include an insane ability to chop vegetables at the speed of light and also smoking crack in the alleyway behind the restaurant on opening night. The latter gets him fired, meaning Season 2 might be it for Moffat and “The Bear.”

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Aldo Pusey

Update: 2024-06-09