Marriage ended due to alcoholism, imposter syndrome over underwear, and a dislike of fame – ‘The Bear’ star Jeremy Allen White turns 35
He never imagined spending his entire twenties on one series, or becoming a two-time Emmy and three-time Golden Globe-winning actor by age 34.
Jeremy Allen White was born in Brooklyn in 1991 to Eloise Ziegler and Richard White, and has a sister, Annabelle, who is currently a producer. He and his sister grew up in Carroll Gardens, while both parents had previously worked as actors. They first met through their shared passion when Richard attended a play in which Eloise was performing. However, both eventually left the entertainment industry: his father founded a confession recording company after Jeremy’s birth, and his mother became a teacher.
Jeremy also had a passion for theater as a child, beginning to act at a young age, and attributes his early confidence to that experience. He also danced throughout elementary school, studying ballet, jazz, and tap. At age 13, when he enrolled in a novel middle school dance program, he decided he wanted to become an actor. He attended the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, and spent his free time at the Susan Shopmaker Casting agency.
He often skipped afternoon classes, which meant he didn’t earn enough credits to graduate high school, but finally received his diploma last year, at age 34. Better late than never.
He was shameless
He began working in front of cameras early on, landing his first film role in 2006, at age 15, in an episode of the television series Judging Amy. Over the next five years, he took on several film and television roles (including appearances in Beautiful Ohio, Law & Order, Twelve, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), and was just 19 when he landed the role that made him a star: Lip Gallagher in the 2011 series Shameless. At the time, he thought the show might run for a few seasons, but never dreamed he would be playing the character for an entire decade.
“I really loved doing Shameless, it was an incredible experience. But I’m not sure that shows necessitate to run as long as they do. There was a period where I didn’t even think of myself as an actor, I just felt like I was there to do the show. It was a disorienting headspace. When Shameless ended, I was asking myself, do I only exist in this show? What else is there?” Jeremy explained, and he wouldn’t have to wait long for his next, even bigger success.
Yes, chef!
Just one year after Shameless concluded, in 2022, Jeremy appeared in a new series, The Bear (available on Disney+ in the US). The show was an immediate hit, winning 10 Emmy Awards in its first season – a record for the most awards won by a comedy series in a single year. The 2023 second season then broke that record with 11 wins.
Through the third season, White had won two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, and two Critics Choice Awards for his performance. The Bear quickly catapulted him into the upper echelons of Hollywood, leading to a significant opportunity in film.
Viewers of The Bear noticed that in scenes where Jeremy’s character wore a shirt, he appeared increasingly muscular, despite the storyline never showing Carmy working out. This physique was intentional. He had signed on to play Kerry Von Erich in the 2023 biographical film The Iron Claw, about the Von Erich wrestling family. White added an additional 18 pounds of muscle to his already fit frame to prepare for the role. While the film wasn’t widely recognized by major awards bodies, it was almost universally critically acclaimed, becoming one of the best films of 2023, and White’s performance was widely praised.
To the top in his underwear
In spring 2024, he was tapped for a Calvin Klein underwear advertising campaign, posing in the brand’s signature briefs. White admitted he was surprised by the developments that led to the deal, and hadn’t envisioned that for his future. The realization that his physique would be the center of so much attention caused a few moments of insecurity before the shoot. He said he experienced imposter syndrome, not believing he should be on billboards. However, the campaign went viral on social media, generating $12.7 million in media value within 48 hours. When asked about the shift in media attention from his acting to his abs after winning his second Golden Globe, he responded: “It’s a bizarre feeling to do a Calvin Klein ad. And now that it’s out, it’s even more bizarre.”
As his fame grew through his acting and modeling work, so did his discomfort with the attention. While already well-known after a decade on Shameless, The Bear elevated him to a new level, and he found the heightened scrutiny difficult to process even in his thirties. He was once running when a car pulled up beside him and the driver pointed a camera at him. “That’s a weird thing to have to navigate, something I never thought I’d have to deal with. It’s not funny, it’s not pleasant, it’s just…weird,” he said.
Teen romance, alcohol, divorce
Jeremy, at just 35 years old, is already a father of two. He and fellow actor Addison Timlin (known for roles in California Split, American Hustle, and Blockers) first met when they were both 14-year-old high school students. They immediately liked each other, but Timlin was already in a relationship, so nothing happened between them. “I was exceptionally awkward with that stuff,” White recalled. They reconnected at age 17, working together on the 2008 film Afterschool.
However, a romance didn’t blossom until nine years later, in 2017, after Jeremy had dated Emma Greenwell, who played Mandy Milkovich in Shameless, for approximately six years (from 2011 to 2017).
In June 2018, Timlin shared an Instagram post featuring Jeremy’s hand on her baby bump, announcing they were expecting. Their daughter, Ezer, was born in October of that year. The proud parents then officially tied the knot in 2019 (on October 18th). At the ceremony, they wore matching denim jackets with each other’s nicknames (“Buddy” and “Billie”) and the words “til” and “death” respectively. Their second daughter, Dolores, arrived in December 2020. By the finale of Shameless, Jeremy was a father of two.
The fairytale, however, came to an end. While his professional life soared, his personal life headed in the opposite direction. This became clear in May 2023, when Addison Timlin filed for divorce. Fortunately, it didn’t appear to be acrimonious, as the two were seen embracing at one of their daughters’ soccer games months after the divorce papers were filed. In October 2023, they reached an agreement on joint custody of their daughters, but the agreement included several stipulations. These largely indicated that Jeremy’s struggles with alcohol played a role in the breakdown of their marriage. Court documents stated White was required to submit to alcohol testing on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, as well as attend therapy weekly and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week.
Flamenco romance
Jeremy didn’t stay single for long after the split. In November 2023, rumors surfaced that he was dating Spanish singer Rosalía, though White, who is very protective of his privacy, neither confirmed nor denied the reports. The relationship reportedly began as a friendship that grew into something more, and the pair were photographed together on multiple occasions displaying affection in public. In January 2024, the Daily Mail published photos of the two stars passionately kissing, solidifying the romance. However, it didn’t last long, and reports surfaced in September 2024 that they had broken up.
A year later, in October 2025, during a red carpet interview, Jeremy shared a comment about his ex when asked who his favorite Spanish singer was: “Rosalía, I love her. She *is* flamenco… I can’t think of anyone else.”
In 2024, Jeremy was also linked to Molly Gordon, his co-star in The Bear, and they were photographed together on several occasions, but they never officially confirmed anything beyond a friendship.
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Jeremy is currently focused on his career (alongside raising his children and battling his alcohol issues), and appears to be on solid ground. He starred as Bruce Springsteen in last year’s Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, earning a Golden Globe nomination, and season five of The Bear is on the way. He has also completed filming Enemies, a crime thriller alongside Austin Butler.
He’s also landed a role in the sequel to The Social Network (2010), playing Frances Haugen, a young Facebook employee who enlists the help of reporter Jeff Horwitz to leak the social media empire’s most closely guarded secrets. And this May, in the upcoming Star Wars film, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Jeremy will also appear – or rather, lend his voice: he will voice Rotta the Hutt.
