Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Bear” Season 5, Episode 7.
Five seasons in, “The Bear” has pulled some pretty great guest appearances, from Brie Larson to Paul Rudd and more. This final season is no different, but if you’re not a Chicagoan, you might be wondering why a certain man in Episode 7 was given such hype and attention. Well, that was Tom Skilling.
He arrives alongside a man that the chefs mostly refer to as “Star Man,” presumably because he’s the one who can get them the Michelin star they’ve been coveting. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) clocks Skilling immediately, and delivers the news to the kitchen himself, prompting Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) to declare “I love him” amid the excitement.
Again, unless you’re a Chicagoan, you may not recognize the name immediately, and that’s OK. He’s not some A-list celebrity popping in like John Cena, even if he’s treated like one in the episode. No, Skilling is just a beloved weatherman from WGN. Or rather, he was.
Skilling worked at the Chicago TV station from 1978 to 2024, when he retired. He was their chief meteorologist, and for decades was the leading authority on the weather. If Skilling predicted it, it was going to happen, and over the years, he developed his own devoted fan base.
As a Boston native, Ayo Edebiri was among those who weren’t immediately familiar with the local love of Skilling. She quickly caught on, though.
“I’ve become familiar because of the cast and crew,” she told TheWrap. “And so, I think I sort of — I studied. I studied, and I embodied. But he was also very sweet, and so lovely.”
“He was a wonderful presence, I have to say” Jeremy Allen White agreed.
“It was so sweet,” Edebiri continued. “And I’m from Boston, so I feel like, you know, obviously it’s like everybody has their own local legend. So it was cool to meet like a different — someone else’s local, but another like local legend. He was really lovely.”
“The Bear” Season 5 is now streaming on Hulu.
