Where Did the Money Come From in The Bear?

The Bear is one of the most talked about shows of 2022, as fans just can’t get enough of the stressful yet realistic environment that comes with owning and running a small restaurant in Chicago. Alongside great characters and solid pacing, the FX/Hulu original also has some pretty interesting stories, especially when it comes to one that happens in the last episode. Here is everything you need to know about where the money came from in The Bear.

How Much Money Was in the Spaghetti?

One of the biggest questions at the end of Season 1 revolves around the money that Carmy finds in the Spaghetti cans. Just how much was in them that allowed him to shut down the restaurant and start from scratch?

According to an interview with Indiewire, The Bear creator, co-showrunner, and director Christopher Storer revealed that the Spaghetti cans that the group unpacks in the final episode of the first season total out to $295,000. If that amount sounds familiar, then you probably already know where the money came from as well.

Where Did the Money Come From in The Bear?

That’s right, the money that was in the Spaghetti cans is the $300,000 loan that Michael took out from Uncle Jimmy, aka Cicero. According to Storer, Michael was most likely instructed not to put the money in the bank for myriad tax reasons, so he decided to hide them in cans instead.

Carmy learns about this after he’s given the suicide note and goes to make the group a family special using the cans based on the ingredients that were on the note, which leads him to find the money. The reason it’s $5,000 short is that Carmy threw away one of the cans in the pilot episode.

Why Was the Money in Spaghetti Cans in The Bear?

In the interview, Storer also said he got the idea to put them in spaghetti cans after doing research about drugs and money being stored and trafficked like this in the past.

“In researching various kitchens, I was really shocked how many stories and articles I had come across or heard about where money or drugs were found in sealed aluminum tomato cans. I guess the police dogs can’t smell anything over the acidic tomatoes and I definitely think Michael had heard some version of that somewhere.”

That is everything you need to know about where the money came from in The Bear. For more on the show, be sure to check out all of the other great guides we’ve got on it, including what BOH means and if the show will have a season 2.