Wait, Is Jeremy Allen White Leaving The Bear After Season 4?

The Bear’s title refers to the show’s restaurant and the sweet family nickname for Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto. But by the end of Season 4 — which dropped in full on June 25 — the future of both is up in the air. Spoilers ahead for The Bear Season 4.

Season 4’s final episode takes place entirely outside of the restaurant, as Carmy explains his surprise decision to step away from the business. But does it mean Jeremy Allen White is leaving The Bear, too?

First, to recap: While Sydney is hurt that Carmy wants to leave, he says he opened the restaurant — and became a cook in the first place — so he “didn’t have to do other things,” like working through his family trauma.

Sydney reminds him that he loves the work, though. “I used to,” he agrees, but not anymore. “I think I have put a lot of stuff in the way, right? Of not dealing with other stuff,” he explains. “And I’m trying to run into that, so I’m not blocked by it anymore. I’m not scared of it anymore. I’m not sprinting from it anymore.”

While Carmy doesn’t have exact plans in place just yet, he says it’s best for the restaurant that he not figure it out in the kitchen. Plus, he’s leaving the place in good hands. “Syd, you’re everything I’m never gonna be. You are,” he says. “You’re considerate, you allow yourself to feel things, right? You allow yourself to care. You are a natural leader and teacher, and you’re doing all this stuff for every right f*cking reason.”

Carmy tells Sydney he’ll do “everything [he] can to set [her] up for success,” including working out The Bear’s debt before he goes. “But any chance of any kind of good in this building, it started when you walked in. And any possibility of it surviving... it’s with you,” he says. (No, you’re crying!)

Sydney finds this hard to believe, but Carmy assures her: “I believe in you more than I’ve ever believed in myself ... because you’re The Bear.”

A New Era?

The sweet moniker shows Carmy’s faith in Sydney — that she’s truly the heart of the restaurant — but it also seems to represent Carmy passing the torch. As Natalie (aka Sugar) told him earlier in the season, “You found something that you love. And it’s completely, 100% OK if... if you don’t love it anymore.”

But as his character steps away from the restaurant, will White leave The Bear as well? So far, the Emmy winner hasn’t weighed in on his future of The Bear either way. But the season finale is titled “Goodbye,” which seems to carry a sense of finality.

Plus, as White previously told Extra ahead of Season 4, this chapter was all about “how people move forward, and how people change.” And the episode does feel like a natural transition point, should White want to step away or reduce his role. Like his co-stars, his schedule is looking quite full these days — between starring in this year’s Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me from Nowhere, and the upcoming Mandalorian film.

Then again, some of The Bear’s most memorable moments have happened on side quests outside of the restaurant — like Marcus staging in Copenhagen in Season 2. So if White plans to stick around, Carmy’s next steps (wherever they may lead) could make for a compelling journey.

Will The Bear Return For Season 5?

Of course, the titular restaurant’s countdown clock reached zero in the final moments of Season 4, representing the point at which Uncle Jimmy said he’d pull the plug. What does that mean for the show itself?

Ahead of Season 4, John Landgraf — chairman of FX Networks — told Variety that the decision ultimately lies with showrunner Christopher Storer. “It’s about, how much more story does he have to tell? I mean, obviously, I’m hoping he has more than one more season of story to tell,” Landgraf said, adding that he’d “rather have one great one” than three mediocre ones, though. “You just have to follow the creative.”