‘The Bear’ Star Jeremy Allen White Is Very ‘Aware’ Of People Comparing Carmy To ‘Ketamine Gene Wilder’

One of the more enjoyable aspects of the very intense, endlessly watchable The Bear happens to be how viewers lusted after Carmy (portrayed by Shameless‘ Jeremy Allen White) as the so-called (and first declared by comedian Sarah York) “Sexually Competent Dirtbag.” The irony there is that Carmy never got it on, but there’s always room for him to have sex in Season 2. Surely, he can spare a few moments to do so? I have faith in him. And that vibe is why people loved being reminded of The Bear‘s existence when White and Ayo Edebiri (who played Chef Sydney) appeared onstage at the Emmys.

This only made people think about a second season with renewed fervor because, for some reason, watching White, Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach stress out is very entertaining. In the meantime, we are still seeing fallout from the Internet’s lust for Carmy, and apparently, he knows all about this. It’s not clear whether he intentionally follows memes, but they must be hard to dodge. This includes how Twitter decided that White resembles Gene Wilder of Blazing Saddles and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory fame. Specifically, the term “Ketamine Gene Wilder” has entered the discourse.

As White recently told InStyle during a video interview, he’s up to speed on this situation, and he’s keeping a healthy sense of humor:

“Yeah I’ve been made aware of some of the stuff out there. There’s one in particular: everyone’s decided I, uh, look a lot like Gene Wilder, which I agree. But I guess someone called me ‘Ketamine Gene Wilder.’ Or called Carmy ‘Ketamine Gene Wilder,’ which I thought was weird and funny.”

You can watch this moment shortly after the 2:30 mark below.

The Bear is currently streaming on Hulu.