Ayo Edebiri Reveals Her Childhood Crush Was Monk Detective Adrian Monk

Ayo Edebiri has revealed that her childhood celebrity crush was Tony Shalhoub's character Adrian Monk from the hit TV series Monk.

During GQ's Friendship Quiz with her The Bear co-star Jeremy Allen White, Edebiri said her crush was "Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk," explaining that it was specifically the detective she admired.

She also recalled feeling starstruck when she finally met Shalhoub and his wife, actress Brooke Adams, who appeared several times on Monk. Edebiri joked that she was so overwhelmed she awkwardly told Adams, "Respect to the union."

Edebiri has spoken about her admiration for Shalhoub before. In a 2022 interview with Glamour, she called him one of her biggest childhood crushes, alongside actor Dulé Hill. She also told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2024 that meeting Shalhoub was a major moment for both her and her parents, who watched Monk together.

She joked that her father later asked, "How's Tony?" forcing her to explain that they were not actually friends.

The latest season of The Bear is now streaming on Hulu.