In season 3 of FX’s hit show, The Bear, Carmy says he’s trying to quit smoking. It’s an admirable pursuit, to be sure, but given how often he lights up in the show, fans were curious to know if Jeremy Allen White is a smoker as well.
The multi-award-winning show’s third season premiered on Hulu on January 27, 2024, with Allen White returning as a young, talented chef—this time, he’s chasing a coveted Michelin Star. Smoking is common in the hospitality world as it provides stress release (ironically making you more wired) and a moment’s break amid a, frankly, chaotic profession.
Related: The Bear Features More Michelin Star Chefs Stars in Season 3 Than Ever
One study from 2023 reported that 33% of chefs smoke, observing, “Restaurant dishes contain more salt as compared to home-prepared foods. Because of a lower taste sensitivity of smokers and a suspected high prevalence of smoking among restaurant chefs, it is hypothesized that smoking plays a role in the high salt content of restaurant dishes.” The more you know.
In The Bear, season 3, Carmy is mulling over quitting smoking himself; it’s implied that it’s due to stress and trying to get over Claire, whom he dated in season 2 but ultimately broke it off for… we’re not exactly sure why. But does Jeremy Allen White smoke in real life?
Does Jeremy Allen White smoke?
He sure does. In fact, he’s photographed by paparazzi quite frequently with a ciggie. Most recently, he was snapped while attending The Bear season 3 premiere afterparty in photos published by The Daily Mail. We’re not endorsing this behavior, FYI, that shit can kill you.
It’s not Allen White’s first role as a smoker in a TV show, either. As a twenty-something actor in Shameless, he spoke to Vulture about his habits. “I am a smoker. I’ve pretty much taken the whole burden of smoking. All the Gallaghers were supposed to smoke in the first season,” he said.
“But Emmy doesn’t smoke, and Cameron [Monaghan, who plays Ian] doesn’t smoke either. And so what happened was, they would smoke in scenes, but it is surprisingly difficult to fake smoking if you’re not a smoker; audiences can kind of tell. And so they kind of took that away from Emmy and Cameron and now just have me smoking in literally every scene. I carry the smoking burden completely.” He added that he “smoke[s] Camel Lights. I might need to get off the show before I can even fathom the idea of quitting.”
