From Golden Boy to cringe: How the Jeremy Allen White story changed in a matter of weeks.

Noooooooo, chef!

The internet has been obsessed with Jeremy Allen White ever since The Bear first premiered in 2022. After rising to fame as Philip 'Lip' Gallagher in Shameless, his award-winning role as the hot, tortured chef Carmy Berzatto launched a thousand think pieces, memes and thirsty 'yes chef' social posts.

White was hot. Metaphorically, in Hollywood terms - he led one of the year's best new shows and was deemed the Next Big Thing. As a movie star in waiting, he signed on as Zac Efron's brother in the highly-publicised wrestling biopic The Iron Claw. But he was also hot in, well, less metaphorical terms. Through Carmy, White became the internet's man of the moment. 

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Everyone knew he was married with children, but White also maintained an air of mystery - which only added to the appeal.

But then, in early August 2023, he and model Ashley Moore passionately kissed on the streets of Los Angeles, in full view of waiting paparazzi, and well, the illusion was shattered.

It comes amid his separation from wife Addison Timlin, who he married in 2019 and shares daughters Ezer, four, Dolores, two, with. Timlin filed for divorce in May, which came as a surprise to many as it was just four months after his Golden Globes acceptance speech included a gushing tribute to her.

"I love you deep in my bones, thank you for all that you do, thank you for everything that you've done," he said while accepting the Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy award.

Soon after, Timlin described herself as a "single mum" in a Mother's Day Instagram post. According to sources, White was 'blindsided' by the caption, which she later changed to say "co-parent" instead.

But by June, the potential mess in his personal life was forgotten as White rode another huge career wave. The Bear's second season was released to critical acclaim yet again, and White was nominated for a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy.

This coincided with an uptake in paparazzi sightings, which were practically guaranteed to go bananas online each day. White was often seen hiking in Los Angeles... sans shirt, or holding picket signs in tank tops. In one particularly viral moment, video captures him performing push-ups on the side of a road, in full view of a waiting camera.

White managed to tow the line of cringe and cool by leaning into the silliness of it all. It was low-stakes fun. 

Jeremy Allen White should date Pete Davidson

— I Could’ve Just Sat On In With Massa (@WrittenByHanna) August 5, 2023

For a couple of weeks, the White sightings became a fairly regular thing to look forward to for pop culture fans - it was as simple as 'hot man leans into hotness' in a fun and non-threatening away, and it worked. He firmly cemented his Internet Boyfriend status, but an added layer emerged when paparazzi showed him and Timlin embracing at their eldest daughter's soccer game.

For some, this hinted at a reconciliation for the childhood sweethearts. For others, it showed a loving and mature co-parenting situation. Both were decidedly attractive.

Then came the photos with Moore. The intended subtext was probably that he certainly isn't reconciling with his ex, but what people took away from it was something more galling.

In the photos, they're standing right in the middle of a highly visible, empty footpath, looking very much like stars of a rom-com. The photos are crystal clear, which means the paps were nearby, clicking away without obstruction. And well, to put it plainly, it looks like a set-up.

Mamamia does not publish paparazzi images, and is often highly critical of the paparazzi economy. Paps can be invasive and harmful to celebrities, especially young female celebrities, and that is always worth critiquing. But there is also another, more symbiotic side of pap culture - a quid pro quo, 'you let me sell a pic, you get to project a curated image' kind of agreement.

And the picture-perfect nature of these images definitely gives off the latter vibes.

What's interesting is that the reaction to this has been one of universal ick. It goes against everything we built up White's persona to be: mystery, cool, serious about his work but not necessarily so serious he can't... walk around shirtless for fun. 

Of course, he's been playing the fame game all along. Considering the current Hollywood strikes, the regular outings have represented a pretty ingenious 'Emmy campaign' of sorts. How do you get your name out there and appeal to voters when you're unable to do anything beyond just being... seen? His frequently shirtless arms certainly helped. 

But, giggling on a footpath like the star of a rom-com, it became far too obvious. Sorry, chef.

Feature image: Getty.