Tom Skilling's Role in The Bear Season 5
The fifth and final season of The Bear features a notable guest star: Tom Skilling, a legendary Chicago meteorologist. In the series, Skilling books a table at the restaurant on a crucial night when the team is striving for a Michelin star. The episode follows the chaotic final service after Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) announces his resignation to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and his sister Natalie 'Sugar' (Abby Elliott). With finances depleted and a storm raging, the staff faces their biggest challenge.
Who is Tom Skilling?
Tom Skilling, 74, served as WGN-TV Chicago's chief meteorologist from 1978 until his retirement in 2024. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was raised in Westfield, New Jersey, before his family moved to Aurora, Illinois. At age 14, he began working at WKKD and WKKD-FM, where he identified inaccuracies in weather reports based on Chicago forecasts instead of Aurora. He struck a deal to present his own forecasts, which proved accurate, earning him a regular weather segment. By 18, he was working at Aurora's WLXT-TV.
During his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Skilling worked at WKOW-TV and WTSO radio. In 1975, he landed his first major TV job at WITI-TV in Milwaukee, where he used a sock puppet named Albert the Alley Cat for forecasts. Returning to Chicago, he became WGN-TV's chief forecaster in 1978, a role he held for 46 years. He is rumored to have been the highest-paid weather presenter in the U.S. and wrote a popular column, Ask Tom, for the Chicago Tribune until 2022.
Family Connection: Brother of Disgraced Enron CEO
Tom Skilling has never married and keeps his personal life private. However, he is the brother of Jeffrey Skilling, the former CEO of Enron Corporation. Enron filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after massive fraud was exposed, leading to the collapse of accounting firm Arthur Andersen and becoming one of the largest bankruptcy reorganizations in U.S. history. Jeffrey Skilling was indicted on 35 counts, including conspiracy, insider trading, and securities fraud. He was fined $45 million and sentenced to 24 years in prison, but after appeals, he served 12 years and was released in 2019.
The Bear Season 5 is available to stream on Disney+.
