What a time to be a fan of Ayo Edebiri. The uber-talented star, who became a world-famous actress for her breakout role as chef Sydney Adamu in The Bear, has defied the odds with one great role after the other. Her journey to fame has been nothing short of remarkable. She began her career as a stand-up comedian, performed on sets such as Comedy Central’s Up Next, and then joined the comedy writing team for Netflix’s Big Mouth in 2020. Her breakout role in The Bear is the gift that keeps on giving. Edebiri has won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, and she’s just getting started. 

She is no stranger to the world of voice acting — the star has appeared in many animated projects over the years, from voicing Frances in Bigtop Burger all the way to her most recent voice-acting role as Envy in Inside Out 2. Following the raving success of Inside Out, which follows a young girl named Riley and the inner workings of the emotions in her brain, comes the phenomenal Inside Out 2 with a new plot twist, and a whole new emotion in the form of Envy, voiced by Edebiri. There’s so much to unpack when it comes to her filmography, but what’s even more exciting is the number of impressive voice-acting roles under her belt. 

1. April O’Neil In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Ayo Edebiri put quite a memorable twist on her character April O’Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Her voicework brought the character to life in a distinct and refreshing way. April O’Neil went from being taunted at school as “Puke Girl” to joining forces with the turtles to save the world from mutants and government agents. Over the years, the role of April has been played by a list of talented stars from previous versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — from the very first live-action film with Judith Hoag as April, to other versions voiced by stars such as Sarah Michelle Gellar and Megan Fox.

April O’Neil isn’t just a badass journalist, she’s also a socially awkward teenager seeking redemption to save her dying social life. As a result of her plight, she meets the four teenage mutant turtles, and they end up on a rollercoaster adventure of a lifetime. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will take you on an epic trip as Ayo Edebiri and the rest of the star-studded cast bring the reboot to life in the best way possible. 

2. Gloria Grant in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 

Gloriana “Glory” Grant might be a supporting character in the Spider-Man comic world, but in ours, Ayo Edebiri’s performance alone takes the character to a whole new level. In Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Gloria Grant is a member of a band with her friends, Mary Jane (Nicole Delaney), Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld), and Betty Brant (Antonia Lentini). When push comes to shove, Gwen begins to distance herself from the band due to her secret life as Spider-Woman.

Gloria’s character is a key factor in Gwen’s mental growth in the movie. Edebiri does Gloria Grant justice in every sense of the character. The Bottoms star voices Gloria’s outgoing and compassionate personality to absolute perfection. 

3. Missy Foreman-Greenwald In Big Mouth

Missy in Big Mouth is yet another animated voice acting role Edebiri nailed completely without any setbacks. Although the role initially belonged to Jenny Slate, In 2020 Edebiri took over and made it her own by capturing every single emotion that was essential to Missy’s character development. Missy Foreman is the kind of complex character that every show needs. She plays a paramount role in Big Mouth, as she goes on a journey of self-acceptance that leads to self-confidence, and a deeper understanding of her black heritage and sexuality.

4. Harriet Tubman In Clone High

The reboot of Clone High is exceptional for a couple of reasons, one being Ayo Edebiri’s voice-acting role as Harriet Tubman. In Clone High, Harriet Tubman is a student at Clone High High School, and the genetic clone of the African-American social activist and abolitionist, Harriet Tubman. Edebiri goes all out by capturing the preppy yet relatable nature of the character, and she also gets to play around with certain key emotions such as angst and worry when portraying a stressed-out Harriet Tubman.  

5. General Scarpaccio In Mulligan

Mulligan is an animated sitcom set in a post-apocalyptic world where survivors of an alien attack on Earth must do what they can to start all over again. Marty Mulligan (Nat Faxon) is the new president of humanity, alongside his laidback teenage chief of staff, Jayson Moody (Ayo Edebiri), who found a Marine general’s uniform on a corpse and put it on to double as General Scarpaccio. Edebiri as Jayson Moody, or General Scarpaccio, brings certain quirky qualities to the show overall. Jayson is a teen who would rather shoot guns and missiles at the whims of the half-wit president, and Edebiri does a great job of bringing out his quirky and chill side with impressive voice work.

Besides the satirical and dark storyline, what makes Mulligan such an exciting watch is finding out which actors are behind each role. Phil Lamar’s voice work as an alien prisoner called Axatrax is excellent, to say the least. Then there’s Chrissy Teigan as First Lady Lucy Suwan, and the most surprising voice-actor reveal which has to be “Weird Al” Yankovic’s role as himself. Also, don’t forget to check out 10 things you didn’t know about Ayo Edebiri.