Sean Evans, a journalist, host, and professional Hot Wings eater, received a text message from TV writer Alan Yang. Did he want to go on the celebrity interview show Hot Ones for a segment from a new comedy series starring Maya Rudolph? His response was quick with yes. That's how Evans found himself on the Paramount lot, struggling to maintain a straight face as Rudolph.
Even Evans, the everyman presenter of Hot Ones, who interviews guests as they eat progressively spicy chicken wings, was taken aback by the experience, having watched calmly as a plate of wings caused Kevin Hart to cry and Gordon Ramsay to race for the bathroom. It was also comedy gold. When the show Loot, on which he appeared with Rudolph, began available on Apple TV+ during the summer, a video of the phoney interview went viral, garnering more than 10 million views. Evans has interviewed Viola Davis, Gordon Ramsay, and Shaquille O'Neal over a meal of hot wings.
Evans may not be as well-known as Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel, but Hot Ones is the internet's closest thing to a late-night talk show. What began as a scrappy web series with a strange premise has become one of the most famous celebrity interview shows, particularly on YouTube, where new episodes regularly receive millions of views. Over the past 19 seasons, everyone from Oscar winner Viola Davis to former professional wrestler Steve Austin to musician Billie Eilish has been there to eat hot wings and promote new projects. It has even influenced frozen chicken bites and several Shake Shack menu items. A famous publicist says there isn't much like it, especially among online shows.
Evans can cover a lot of material during a 10-minute interview, such as revisiting a musician's early career or delving into an actor's warm-up techniques. However, anyone who sits down for an interview must eat the wings—or be willing to try—which might be a difficult sell for some folks. After filming their Loot scene together, Evans says he invited Rudolph, who had mocked the programme twice.
Evans believes that he has eaten around 2,000 spicy chicken wings on camera over the course of his nearly eight-year tenure on the show. He polishes them down like a regular Tuesday, despite his guests' struggles to keep up with the rising Scoville scale. The show has also made him a spicy sauce connoisseur, and he now has a kitchen cabinet full of bottles. Wings are dead to him, and he does not eat them off the clock.
Actors like Matt Damon and Paul Rudd have asked to appear on Hot Ones to impress their children. Others, like Cate Blanchett, may agree to an interview to raise knowledge about a project with a younger audience. Davis, meanwhile, was there for the wings when she appeared on the show recently to promote The Woman King. The stories about stars and chicken wings are endless. Who has your heart and laugh on this show the most?