Megan McLachlan talks to Hot Ones host Sean Evans about 30 seasons of his YouTube series and why he won’t tinker with the format—despite what Daniel Radcliffe wants!
Sean Evans, host of the Hot Ones YouTube series, extracts real vulnerability from the celebrities he interviews. Has the FBI ever contacted him about his interrogation tactics? Well, no.
“I don’t put myself on any kind of pedestal or whatever,” says Evans. “I’m always just trying to get better at that thing and always really interested in other people’s lives and really interested in other people’s stories. And I just try to expose myself to as much of that story as I possibly can and then write down the things I’m intellectually curious about. And then hopefully audiences are interested in it.”
Obviously they are! Hot Ones is going on 30 seasons of celebrities eating hot wings while getting candid with Evans. He’s talked to Academy Award nominees, country musicians, comedians—anyone who’s down to chow down.
“We do really care about meeting our guest halfway because we’re going to have them eat this gauntlet of scorching hot chicken wings. So I think the least we can do is pay attention to the rider. So if they have certain preferences or, like, certain things they like or certain things they want, we really extend to be accommodating.”
But one thing he won’t accommodate is tinkering with the format. Even though Daniel Radcliffe suggested exit interviews, Evans doesn’t see them changing the series any time soon.
“There have been all these different things: vertical video, these media companies, pivot to video. I’ve lived through all of these different things. And I’ve always thought rather than always chasing the next trend or whatever, rely on the classics. The interview is the oldest construct in the history of media. That’s not going anywhere. If you can interview, you can have a job in this town.”
I had a great conversation with Evans (without wings) about the popularity of Hot Ones, how he prepares for his interviews, and what the mood in the room is like. Watch or listen below!
