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The Bear season 4 sees Jamie Lee Curtis' Donna Berzatto return, and this time, she makes amends with Carmen (Jeremy Allen White). Donna is Carmy, Sugar (Abby Elliot), and Mike's (Jon Bernthal) mother. Until Donna's physical appearance in the season 2 episode, Fishes, viewers only knew that Carmy does not have the best relationship with his mother, who is now a recovering alcoholic.
In an interview with TIME published on June 28, 2025, Jamie Lee Curtis was asked if it was cathartic to reconnect with Carmy as Donna in The Bear season 4. She replied:
"Very much cathartic. We both knew what we're doing. The script is beautiful. I learned that having a kid who you don't know how to help is one of the most powerless experiences as a parent."
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Curtis shared that the scene where Donna tells Carmy she couldn’t help Mike when he was a child was especially emotional for her, as it resonated deeply with her own experiences of feeling that kind of helplessness as a parent. The Freaky Friday star also praised the writing of that scene.
Carmy and Donna meet the first time in five years in The Bear season 4
From the beginning, it has been clear that The Bear's Donna Berzatto is a complicated character. Even after Sugar asks him to contact Donna, Carmy refuses. In season 2, the flashback episode Fishes reveals the reason Carmy and Donna have not met in five years.
In Fishes, Donna keeps fussing over the family dinner, which happened five years ago on Christmas Eve. Donna has a meltdown at the dinner table when Sugar asks her if she is okay. Donna leaves and minutes later, crashes into the dining room's wall in her car. That is the last time Carmy sees her before they meet again at Frank and Tiffany's wedding in The Bear season 4.
Donna is a recovering alcoholic when she meets Carmy again, and she apologizes to him for not being there for him. In doing so, she also gives Carmy a chance to understand what she has been through as a wife and mother of three. Carmy cooks for Donna - for the first time - as a way of apologizing for not being there for her.
Also read: The Bear season 4 receives the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score among all seasons
Jamie Lee Curtis on playing Donna every year
In the above-mentioned interview with TIME, Jamie Lee Curtis revealed she decided that she wanted to play Donna when she saw the first episode of the show in which Sugar told Carmy to call their mother. She secured the role and first appeared as Donna in Fishes.
When asked what it is like to get into Donna's headspace every year for a new season, Jamie Lee Curtis said that they shot seasons 3 and 4 simultaneously.
"So the truth is, I did the scene with Sugar in the hospital, which was an entire episode. And two days later, I did my part at the wedding. And then the next day, my scene with Jeremy at the house," Curtis explained.
Jamie Lee Curtis is regarded as one of the best actresses in Hollywood and has earned the scream queen title for her roles in the horror and slasher genres. That said, she has worked on projects of many different genres, including comedy-dramas like The Bear.
The Bear season 4 is available to stream on Hulu.
