With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter.

Ayo Edebiri may have been nominated for her lead role in The Bear at the 2024 Emmys—cohosted by Dan Levy and Eugene Levy—on Sept. 15, but the breakout star had her mind on a viral TikTok sound while on the red carpet at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The 28-year-old gushed over one celebrity run-in she had on the carpet that made a lasting impression.

“I absolutely freaked out when I saw Reba McEntire and I really, really am proud of myself for not singing the entire theme song,” Edebiri admitted to with Laverne Cox on Live From E!: Emmys, before breaking into the now-TikTok-famous lyrics from the Reba theme song, “A single mom who works real hard, who loves her kids and never stops.”

As she aptly ended the interview, “Hey, I’m a survivor!”

McEntire and her costar Melissa Peterman, who helped cohost E!’s Countdown to the Red Carpet show, are once again teaming up as presenters at the Primetime Emmys.

And Edebiri, who previously won the Outstanding Support Actress in a Comedy Series in 2023 for her work on The Bear, is now nominated in the lead actress category for her role as Sydney Adamu on the hit series costarring Jeremy Allen White.

Edebiri wowed in a strapless custom Bottega Veneta red, black, and cream dotted gown.

“I started out doing standup comedy. My uniform was big pant, big shirt, that was my life,” she quipped of her differing looks. “It definitely was a costume still, but things have certainly changed, so it’s nice to play in this space.”

And Edebiri is up against her friend Quinta Brunson in this year’s category. She joked about the tense competition between herself and the Abbott Elementary creator and star.

“I think I’ve really held my own and I’ve been really lovely and cordial. And she’s nasty. She’s a nasty woman, you can tell,” Edebiri joked of Brunson before admitting. “No, it’s been really amazing and surreal… For me, I’m really just happy to be there. It’s a real, real nice group to be in.”

For more stars at the 76^th Annual Emmy Awards, read on.

In custom Chanel.

In custom Louis Vuitton. 

In custom Dolce & Gabbana.

In custom Ateliee Versace. 

In custom Bottega Veneta.

In Gigi Goode. 

In atelier Prabal Gurung. 

In custom Oscar de la Renta.

In Roland Mouret. 

In custom Calvin Klein.

In Oscar de la Renta. 

In custom Vera Wang.

In Loewe. 

In Bode.

In Tamara Ralph FW24 Couture, Davis Yurman jewelry, Gedebe bag, and Jimmy Choo shoes. 

In custom Balenciaga. 

In Thom Browne FW24 Couture. 

In Oscar de la Renta. 

In custom Calvin Klein.

In custom Ralph Lauren.