How Sean Evans turned 'Hot Ones' into one of entertainment's most important interview shows

You're eating these scorching hot wings and your brain is just flashing survival, survival, survival

When I first started, I was just thinking about this. Like there were so few interview shows on the Internet and almost no celebrity interview shows on the Internet

And now they're like a ton, like even podcasts back then weren't as like guest fueled as they are now

And now there's like so many different kinds of like celebrity talk shows or like chat formats

And that's been kind of incredible to see. Like there used to be a time where people would just be on the late night couch and then it would be like this event that they've done this Internet show Hot Ones

And now like the whole ecosystem is basically the Internet shows like Hot Ones

So like that has been kind of an amazing thing to witness. But as far as like one kind of paradigm shifting moment, I look back at like different tentpole episodes of the show is particularly important

Like our first big episode was with Key and Peele. But I think all of these, it is like the timing of it

You know, like you have consumer behaviors changing at about the time that we start the show

We see this eyeball migration from TV to the Internet. And then, of course, like the celebrities with projects to promote follow because that's where the audience is

so you know like Kevin Hart to me was like a big moment because that was like a capital A

a-lister in his moment relatively early in the evolution of the show but then it's like once

we booked him that shakes him a couple other apples from the tree that you didn't think were

obtainable or like the Charlize Theron episode I think of is really important because that was like

an a-list actress who was like down to eat the wings of death and then that opens up a whole new

category of potential guests. So along the way, we've hit these different tentpole moments that have kind of like reshaped

or redefined the trajectory of the show. But overall, it's just been kind of a snowball rolling down the hill

getting bigger or like a wave getting bigger. And I'm just grabbing my surfboard and trying to hold on

Come on, man. Are we doing this or not? Yeah, no, I'm doing it or not. I'm on the same page

What's the point of even being alive? If we can't do this

Yeah, it's a good ogy. I know last year you said that Hot Ones deserves to be compared alongside like traditional talk shows

And I totally agree. But do you feel like the industry has caught up to that idea or are like these creator led shows still fighting for legitimacy in that way

Well, you know, I mean, it's one of the I kind of get it both ways

But I mean, ultimately, like the crusade that I'm on, it's not even really like about Hot Ones or whatever

It's just like, I don't know, like a kid these days with like broadcasting aspirations, like the dream that they have in their head is probably not to host the tonight show

Like their dream is going to be like more of one, like Kai or like speed or like somebody building out their own YouTube channel or like they'll want to rank high on a podcast chart or whatever

You know what I mean? Like, I think that that is all like reshaped to the point that the longer these shows kind of deny that reality, like just the more absurd and arbitrary it becomes

I think like my goal has like always just been to like make good episodes to feed our fans, you know, like these kinds of conversations are nice

And when you do think about the cultural penetration of a show like Hot Ones or the caliber of guests or, you know, just the ratings like eyeballs to eyeballs

Like, yeah, then by that definition, you know, like we are worthy of comparison and competition with these shows that have traditionally dominated these categories

It's hard for me to like bellyache about anything. My life is so charming and I get to do this incredible job

Like, I'm not going to like cry about, you know, like not getting a statue or something

You know what I mean? Like, like everything has all been like so amazing and better than anything I ever could

have dreamed for myself or better than anything that I deserve. So I'm just like enjoying the ride

But like, if I do like die on a hill, it's just that like, you know, if you look at people

starting off as creators, we're now directors turning, you know, million dollar budgets into

hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Like the future is going to be like new formats that are birthed and originated on the internet

And then like the next wave of like great auteurs are going to start on the internet

Eventually these like arbitrary lines and rules in the sand are going to blow away because

it's just going to like deny like what audiences are actually watching

Oh, totally. I honestly think we have to think beyond the statues

Like there has to be like different metrics for success. The statistics really back you up because the majority of kids these days, it's not even

that they aspire to be creators. They already consider themselves to be creators

Yeah. Right. So you know like those talented people are going to end up making great things that people watch or spend money on tickets to buy And that going to be the whole like the whole force of the next generation in Hollywood and beyond So like I don know

like, it's just impossible to deny anymore. So that's just the gong that I'm beating

The cool thing about Hot Ones is that you guys have spent the last, you know, decade plus really

building an audience that comes back week after week. And so in your opinion, what's the difference

between maybe creating a viral hit and creating something sustainable that can last, you know

a decade. Well, I always think that like, you know, we have this format that's very of now

like very of the internet, you know, but when I think about the ways that like I've personally

been inspired or like how the show has been shaped, it's been mostly by the classics, you

know, like I grew up as like a Letterman, Conan, Howard Stern, you know, Jimmy Kimmel obsessive and

my creative partner, Chris Schoenberger, you know, like he remembers like, you know

there's time in Britain and watching channel four and like Alexa Chung and the kind of like

cheeky celebrity chat shows of Britain. So it's like, we kind of like combine those

as our influences, even though we have this like very internetty format where we're having

celebrities eat scorching hot chicken wings. So I think it's the combination of those things

where it's something novel, but at the same time, something familiar. And then I also think that we

straddle this like unique positioning of having like one foot in the mainstream and then one in

kind of like the internet underground so like those two things that those forces that all work

in combination i think that that's what's given its longevity and i also think that you know the

watch experience is nine times out of ten like a seven or an eight you know what i mean and sure

there are some duds in there but then there's also more classics than the duds so it's like

it's just like a very consistent experience. Like hot ones is like, we're like a diner burger that

you like, you know, like you have to eat that burger once a week and you'll come back the week

after and the week after and the week after. And we don't do much tinkering with the recipe or like

changing things around or just because burger sales are down one month, we reinvent the menu

to chase the food trends of whatever is going on in the country. Like, you know, we're pretty like

pretty consistent and like pretty classic in our approach. And I think that that's

what's kind of given the longevity and then it's a pretty consistent watch experience. So I think

all of those things working in concert with one another is, uh, for better or worse, why I've been

eating scorching out wings for 11 years straight. So consistency then is like the secret sauce

Yeah, I think so. It's just the same people making the same thing the same way over and over again

And it's because people just like the taste of the burger. And we're not going to try to outsmart ourselves by getting them to order something else

Everybody knows the gimmick, right? The wings and the hot sauce, the real hook

But like, there is a reason people keep coming back. So I do want to know from your perspective, like, what's something that you think viewers

might underestimate about the work that goes into making like a really great Hot Ones episode

Hot Ones is kind of like a duck swimming. We're like above the water

It's very graceful and frictionless. And then underneath, you just have those webs turning

So I think it's just like in the chaos of, you know, like booking, like, you know, as

the show and the brand and the company have grown, you know, like I just live a lifestyle

where I grab a carry on bag and I go to the airport and I check into the hotel and I go

to the shoot and then I'm back at the airport and I'm in a new city and I'm checking into

the hotel and I'm doing a shoot. And there's a lot of times where it's like we have like a season worked out and like, oh, this guest has to cancel on Thursday

We need to find like another booking in the next 36 hours

Otherwise, we're not going to have an episode on Thursday. So like there's always like a lot of chaos that you have to deal with when you're doing a show like this

Sometimes like I literally like earlier this year, like flew to Italy to shoot with someone, find out when I get there that they have to cancel, like fly back

Now we don't have that episode. Now we got to scramble to do another one. I've just flown to Italy for no reason

Like there's a lot of chaos in just making sure that every Thursday at 11 a.m

an episode goes up. And the point is that the audience shouldn't feel that kind of anxiety

Like we want to make escapism television where you can enjoy just like a stress-free 24 minutes

or so. And but to get to those 24, there's a lot of stress that goes into getting that stress-free

24 minutes for the audience. Yeah. Did you get to at least enjoy some of your time in Italy

I mean, I had like a good pasta dinner. I'm like, I'm at least going to do that while I'm here. But like, you know, otherwise, it was just it was it was a sad, sad trip. But oh, it's just the plight, such is the plight of a chicken wing talk show host

Yeah. I know you have said, and what you're saying now, it's like, you can film these episodes

anywhere. Like you can go to a studio, you can go to a hotel room, like, and viewers can't really

tell a difference because it's like a black curtain and a table and some wings. So what is

maybe like the most unconventional place you ever turned into a Hot One set I mean there been a bunch over the years Like a memory that does stand out to me was when we shot the Charlize Theron episode

she was doing a, I think it was at the Beverly Hills Hotel

and she was doing a junket on the first floor. And in order to shoot the episode, like, our workaround was we rented a suite

we took the bed out and then we just hung those black curtains from like the ceiling of the hotel

room but i just remember like walking in there and it's like this hotel room in disarray and like

sandbags and lights on the floor and like sheets hanging from the ceiling and like if you just

walked onto set like it just looked like i don't know like a second graders project or something

like it just looked crazy and i'm like oh my gosh i can't believe we're like shooting with like a

capital A A-list actress, an Oscar award winner in here. But like, that's the Hot Ones experience

Like you pop the thing up, you put the wings out, you do the best that you can with the time that

you have, you handle the chaos, and then you pack it all up and go do it again. So it really is just

kind of like a circus roadshow that we're on. And sometimes it really is a circus

Is it, would you say it's often like, okay, we'll come to you, like wherever you are, we'll go and we'll make it easy for you

when we can i mean like sometimes i think about like this time in the season because we're like

kind of halfway through a season right now we shot a bunch of episodes and we still have to

shoot a couple more but like the dates like we have dates that we're already shooting for like

the next the next season and you know like trying to make sure that we have availability with a

guest and that we can drop our episode on thursday right next to their peg but it's like an episode

that we haven't given to someone yet you know it's like this rubik's cube that we're trying to solve

at all times. But I think that's why we've like punched above our weight class in terms of like

guests over the years is like, we want to make it like the most comfortable, least comfortable

interview show, you know, like, and we'll do what we have to do in order to get the episode and

we'll hunt it down and dig it up wherever it is. And, uh, and yeah, I mean, so yeah

to answer your question, um, with the right opportunity, uh, and if it works out with

timing and scheduling, like we will absolutely jump on a, jump on a plane. Like I probably do

that like LA to New York flight, like 50 times a year. Do you have like favorite like moments that

stand out as like your personal favorites? Maybe not necessarily like the biggest or the most viral

but the ones that mean the most to you. Yeah. There's, um, a bunch of, like, I love the show

and it's like my little baby and I've been obsessed with it. You know, like, I think you

have to be, if you're going to eat these wings time after time. So like, I can probably make a

list of like hundreds, like 150 episodes that to me are like, well, this one's a classic. No

this one's a classic. And like, you know, they've all been like these like singular experiences

And like, you know, it's so hard to puncture the artifice of it all. Cause it's kind of like a

performative version of a conversation. And then, you know, you're doing it on camera and this is a

person that I'm meeting for the first time, but we have to create this energy, this rhythm, this

sense of rapport, this trust. And like, that should fail like 90% of the time when you really

break down how crazy it is but it's always with hot ones like such a positive shoot experience and

i've made friends we've trauma bonded over the wings there's like episodes that mean different

things to me but like overall i think that if you're new to hot ones or if you've never watched

an episode i would always like recommend like the conan o'brien episode um gordon ramsey episode

uh the paul rudd episode is like an exalted place in the lore of hot ones fans um i really love like

the Viola Davis episode. I love the trick daddy episode. I think like the Charlize Theron episode

was like really important in our evolution. Like there's so many over the years that I'm like

you know, if you, if you're not sure if you want to watch the show, like just try watching this one

If you dig it, you'll probably like the show and want to watch more. If you don't stop now

like turn cash in your chips. Like we have nothing for you. And then like, you know

this year I think for the category, we submitted the Kate McKinnon episode

That one means a lot to me. But there's like hundreds and hundreds that I could just like talk about endlessly

Could I ask about the BTS episode? Cause I am a big BTS fan and I know that they

they rolled deep with a lot of people and their entourage. So what did it take kind of behind the scenes to pull that off

And like how maybe different was the production process compared to a typical episode

Well, I always know when we're like shooting with a big guest when there's kind of like a security sweep like before

You know what I mean? That's always like the hallmark of like, oh, we're like, this will be a big one

I had because we've never done an episode that big before, you know, like where we have all of these wings on the table and all of these guests

And it actually went like so smoothly and to the added degree of difficulty where only one of them is speaking English

There was all of this stuff to deal with and that like so remarkably smooth considering everything that we were up against i remember i went to go say hi to them in the green room and

they were like super warm and like excited to see me which was cool like they had like

just amazing vibes going in and then even if there is a language barrier there is the

common understanding when you're eating scorching hot wings together you know and you have like

jimin being like let's come on wing like let's go wing you know and then like i start doing it

along with them and it's like we're just like connected on that like there's just a the universal

experience of eating hot wings we're like yeah even if you don't speak the same language you

just become like bros through it all so um that like we had like going into it like

thought about every single complication along the way but i think we like just psyched ourselves

up into a world that like we didn't even need to be in because it was like absolute like so

seamless and smooth and like opposite of uh what i expected it to be to be honest yeah it was

amazing fans loved it and they're great fans by the way like uh that's another rewarding thing

about doing something like that or like capturing this group in this moment where they're like

re-emerging coming back out and you know they didn't do a ton of press so that i'm also very

grateful, you know, for them and the team thinking that, you know, hot ones would be something that

would make some waves and that the fans would love. And that's also I'm very appreciative for

that. I'm sure you guys went through a lot of milk cartons, but it was really good. Lots of ice cream

you know, but you have that ability to make somebody feel really comfortable, like with you

at that table. And, you know, what have you learned maybe about making somebody comfortable

enough to reveal something genuine on camera, which I do think is like a pretty cool ability

that you have. Well, I think I've always been like even going back to like junior high or high school, like

somebody that could be at any lunch table in the cafeteria, you know, like talking to

all kinds of people. Like I like hearing stories, like I'm more interested in other people's stories than

I am my own. And that's I've always been kind of that way

I think, you know, you're a Midwesterner. Like we came up from the same spot

I think there is like kind of a, like a don't rock the boat. Like everybody, like, I just want everybody in the room to feel good and be happy kind

of thing that like we naturally have. I think I have some of that

But, and I think too, in the interview, like we kind of reflect back at them, like a respect

for them, you know, we do what is hopefully this like thoughtful career spanning interview

And then, so I think that that helps build some trust while it's happening

And then I think, you know, you have this distracting thing where you're eating these scorching hot wings and your brain is just flashing survival, survival, survival

Like you can't think about the PR driven flight pattern that you might have walked into the studio with

So I think all of those things work to accelerate that kind of chemistry and rapport that gives a guest enough trust to like let it loose a little bit when you're on hot ones

And, you know, you have a longer leash. Like I always tell them, you know, like there's not that much pressure for you to deliver this like word perfect interview because you're eating the scorching hot wings

So like you might have some anxiety, some fears about that. But think about it on this show, you actually have a really long leash

Like where else can you cough and curse and blow your nose into a napkin

You know, like this is the show where you can do that. So I think that that kind of permission structure gives people a reason to be maybe more generous with what they're sharing with me than they otherwise would be in another setting

Yeah, it's like that Midwestern kindness mixed with like the natural curiosity of a journalist

Yeah, yeah. into the extreme by like the crazy, like experience that you're having eating

It's a coalescing factors. Yes. Yeah. And I have to say, you know, I know fans are really invested

in your friendship with Kiki Palmer, but she's like another person who is a really good host and

interviewer like you are. And so I'm curious, like what, cause she's been at hot ones. You've

been on our podcast. What is it about her as like a host and interviewer that you really appreciate

and admire well i think like one thing that we share is we're kind of like throwbacks of like

another time you know and uh i was talking about my influences and i think that she's very much

the same way and then like even our like rapport on um like you know when people see us doing stuff

together but it's also like um at all times it has like kind of like a throwback like 90s late

night show kind of vibe to it but it's you know brought to this like new time in a way that like

young people seem to understand and really enjoy you can't fake that this is good