Warning! Contains spoilers for The Bear season 3.

The Bear‘s seasons 1 and 2 only hint at what might have happened to Carmy’s father, but season 3 finally resolves the big mystery. In its Christmas special episode, The Bear season 2 features an episode-long flashback that walks through a “typical” Christmas dinner at the Berzatto home. What makes the episode one of the best in the series is not only the numerous cameos it features but also the nerve-wracking drama it unfolds.

What seemingly begins as a normal family Christmas gathering takes a grim turn when Uncle Lee and Mickey start taking personal jabs at one another. Things get uglier when Donna reaches the end of her wits and drives her car through the living room wall. However, even with so much going on, it is hard not to notice that one family member, the patriarch of the Berzatto family, is not present for the dinner. The Bear season 3 finally sheds light on this nagging mystery.

Carmy’s Father Blew The Beef’s Funds & Abandoned The Family

He Left His Family With A Massive Debt

The Bear season 1 features a scene where Uncle Jimmy briefly talks about Carmy’s father and calls him his best friend. Jimmy also implies that Carmy’s father started the family’s restaurant business, and Donna endured a lot of pain and suffering because of him. However, since he does not explicitly reveal what happened to him, season 1 raises several questions about Carmy’s father’s fate and where he went. The Bear season 3 finally connects these dots by revealing that, sometime before 2018, Carmy’s father blew The Beef’s funds before panicking and abandoning his family.

Even though Uncle Jimmy was his best friend, he did not tell him where he was going before fleeing. After his departure, Uncle Jimmy had to take up the role of a father for the Berzatto siblings, which explains why he wholeheartedly invests in both Mickey and Carmy’s businesses. Since Carmy’s father not only abandoned his family but also left them with a failing restaurant business, it is understandable why Mickey kept working at The Beef against his own will and why Donna struggles with mental health conditions.

Is Carmy’s Father Still Alive In The Bear?

His Fate Remains Unknown After The Bear Season 3

Uncle Jimmy acknowledges in The Bear season 1 that he has not heard from Carmy’s father since he left. This highlights that his fate and whereabouts are unknown. He could be alive, or he might have died after leaving his family behind in 2018. If the former is true, it is messed up and incredibly tragic that he did not even show up for Mickey’s funeral. Since The Bear season 4 has been confirmed (but not announced), it might mark Carmy’s father’s return, adding new layers of complexity and emotional drama to the central Berzatto family’s dynamic.