All of the Surprise Guest Stars in 'The Bear' Season 3, Explained

Spoilers for all episodes of The Bear season 3 ahead. On June 26, The Bear season 3 finally arrived on Hulu, ready to answer viewers' biggest question: Who's going to guest star this season? The FX on Hulu restaurant-set comedy has become known for its cameos from A-listers, as much as its food porn and the beloved dynamic between chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his sous Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri). The series especially gained a reputation with its season 2 guest stars—a whole roster of whom appeared in the stand-out Christmas-set flashback episode, "Fishes."

Thankfully, season 3 brings back several of the fan-favorite guests from the show's past, as well as two new, jaw-dropping cameos (and another Taylor Swift needle drop). To help keep track of the famous faces as you make your way through the 10-episode season, read on for our breakdown of The Bear season 3's guest stars.

Gillian Jacobs

The Community and Invincible star plays an extended member of the Berzatto family, Richie's (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) ex-wife Tiffany. We first met Tiffany in the "Fishes." She's also made an appearance in the present timeline, in which she and Richie have gotten divorced. One episode after "Fishes," she tells her ex that she's engaged. (More on that engagement later.)

Despite their separation, Tiffany's a constant in Richie's life as they're co-parenting their daughter Eva (Annabelle Toomey), so it makes sense that Jacobs returns for both episode 1 and episode 9 in season 3.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Season 3 brings back the Oscar winner to reprise her role as Donna Berzatto, with the family matriarch coming to her daughter's aide as Sugar (Abby Elliott) gives birth in episode 8. While the season 2 finale saw Donna still struggling to connect with Sugar and Carmy, her appearance in season 3 offers some hope for the family's future. (The late Michael Berzatto, played by Jon Bernthal, also makes his regular flashback appearances this season.)

Joel McHale

Before "Fishes" took The Bear's guest-star count into the stratosphere, McHale played a brief but important role in season 1, as the New York City chef whose high-pressure leadership left Carmy with PTSD. (The character is literally credited as "NYC Chef," per IMDb). Since then, the Community alum has come back every season to haunt Carmy like a ghost, as the manifestation of his anxiety during Friends and Family Night in the season 2 finale, and via flashback scenes to Carmy's tenure at the NYC restaurant in season 3, episode 1.

John Cena

Episode 5's cameo by everyone's favorite wrestler-turned-actor (sorry, The Rock) answers fans' pleas to introduce more Faks. Cena plays Sammy, a brother of Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) who arrives at the restaurant to buff the floors and hound (or "haunt") the pair's other brother Ted (Ricky Staffieri) for stealing his SD cards. Eventually, Sammy gets the password he demands, after teaching us all a new strategy for terrorizing our family members.

John Mulaney

After his appearance in "Fishes," the comedian and Everybody's In LA host returns as Steven, the boyfriend of Michelle Berzatto (Sarah Paulson). In episode 1, Steven serves as a supportive, Febreze-wielding host to Carmy, who takes up Michelle's offer to move in with them in NYC. Paulson unfortunately doesn't show up in new scenes, but we do see her via "Fishes" flashbacks.

Josh Hartnett

Oppenheimer star and '90s heartthrob Hartnett makes a brief entrance into The Bear universe as Frank, the fiancé of Richie's (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) ex-wife Tiffany (Jacobs). He appears in episode 4 when Richie drops off his daughter Eva at Tiffany's house.

The surprise cameo also continues the show's streak of Taylor Swift moments, as you can hear her Speak Now hit "Long Live" playing in the background when Frank opens the door. (Our kingdom for a Richie-Frank duet to "Shake It Off" in season 4!)

Olivia Colman

Another Oscar winner who made her debut in season 2, Colman returns to The Bear in season 3 to reprise her role as the beloved Chef Terry. In episode 1, we see some more of Carmy's time working in her kitchen at Ever, the same restaurant where Carmy sent Richie to stage. We also learn that Chef Terry is the one who sent Carmy to Copenhagen.

Sarah Ramos

The Parenthood and Winning Time actress reprises her role from season 2's fan-favorite episode "Forks," where she played Jessica, the expediter at Ever who teaches Richie how to manage the incoming orders and workflow of the kitchen. In season 3, she returns as Jessica continues her mentorship/friendship/maybe something more with Richie. (The Ever later serves a major role in season 3's finale.)

Will Poulter

After months of speculation (and fancams), season 3 officially brought back the Midsommar actor as tattooed pastry chef Luca. In episode 1, we even get to see the one-sided rivalry between himself and Carmy that helped improve his skills, as he recalled to Marcus (Lionel Boyce) last season.