Jeremy Allen White is one of the biggest stars to emerge in the last few years. The young actor first rose to prominence on the long-running family drama series Shameless (2011-2021) as Phillip “Lip” Gallagher, the rebellious eldest son of the notoriously chaotic Gallagher family.
However, it was White’s leading role as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto in The Bear (2022-present) that made him a household name. But is he related to another acting superstar?
Why do people think Jeremy Allen White and Gene Wilder are related?
Image via Hulu
Thanks to his new level of prominence in pop culture, White has been compared to beloved comedic actor Gene Wilder (1933-2016), best known for the titular role in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), The Producers (1967), and Blazing Saddles (1974). It’s no wonder, either — their facial features and signature dirty blond curls make for quite a resemblance. It’s also a highly flattering comparison, as the late actor is widely considered a master of both comedy and drama.
Since the trailer for Wonka (2023) dropped, those less-than-impressed with Timothée Chalamet’s casting as the iconic Roald Dahl character have thrown Jeremy Allen White’s hat into the ring as a preferred choice to take over from Wilder — although Jeremy might have preferred that suggestion come from social media users prior to the new film starting production.
Recently, rumors have spread online that the two actors are biologically related, and with such a striking resemblance, who can blame the believers?
So, are Gene Wilder and Jeremy Allen White actually related, then?
Image via Paramount Pictures
If Jeremy Allen White and Gene Wilder are actually related, Jeremy has kept mum about this fact. Gene Wilder never had any children of his own but his nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, is pretty well known, both as a filmmaker and close confidant of the actor who cared for him in his final years.
In addition, Wilder hails from Wisconsin, while White is a native New Yorker. If the two are related at all, it’s not a close relation.
