Sean Evans has been hosting the wing-eating interview series Hot Ones for 11 years, and he still remembers exactly what it felt like to be on the show when he wasn’t sure if anyone was watching.
“From the first few episodes, we had guests stand on a table and circle around the studio,” Evans told Variety. “The gonzo mess was real. I knew the way it was translated into video was going to be something no one had seen before.”
After 4 billion views, the YouTube series enters this Emmy cycle in a newly unified category. Earlier this year, the TV Academy combined Talk and Variety scripts into one premier variety series race, putting Evans in direct competition with late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and the long-running sketch comedy “Saturday Night Live.” For a show that has been garnering clicks and views for more than a decade, the request for a “late night” slot is vindication, and the merger feels like a coronation waiting to be born for aspiring creators.
“‘Hot Ones’ is a show that is heavily influenced by traditional talk shows,” Evans says. “We have this unique, novel, Internet-y hook in the wings. But overall, we’ve always thought of it as traditional late-night music.
talk show. ”
The Kate McKinnon episode, which Evans submitted for an Emmy, which he called “a good reflection of the show,” will be judged against Colbert’s work, which ended its run on CBS in May. The slow demise of traditional late-night programming has been the theme of the past year, as the FCC puts pressure on broadcasters, the network economy collapses, and streaming swallows up whatever remains. Evans, who built his platform solely on YouTube, isn’t dancing on his grave. On the contrary, he still celebrates it.
“You can steal someone’s show,” Evans says, echoing what Letterman told Colbert in the final episode. “But you can’t take away their voices. The reason I fell in love with show business was the way I remember early and centrally, the lights, the cameras, and all that action. The Ed Sullivan Theater, the audience was packed, the curtains were down, people were cheering, and David… Letterman is out. As much as I’ve benefited from this, it’s a bitter pill for me to swallow. The idea that ambitious, swing-for-the-walls show business is about to be replaced by being No. 1 is a bitter pill for me to swallow. Podcasts on Spotify.”
The format has produced such authentic moments that the “gimmick” label becomes difficult to sustain. Conan O’Brien says his “Hot Ones” appearance was the best interview he’s ever had. Gordon Ramsay, a guest whom Evans calls the most nervous booking of his career, became a friend. Evans points out specific signals when an interview is going well.
Chicken wings. ”
The broader case Evans is alleging this season has nothing to do with chicken. It’s that YouTube is television, and pretending otherwise has become indefensible. The platform recently acquired the rights to broadcast the Academy Awards, starting with the 101st ceremony in 2029, which Evans sees as a natural next step.
“YouTube is good at these big swings,” he says. “If you want a monoculture moment, these things need to be alive here.”
Asked if he would ever host an Oscar ceremony himself, Evans hesitated before saying, “Yes.”
But can he sing? These are host traits that come in handy when hosting Hollywood’s biggest night.
he said with a laugh. “I guess I’ll just lean back and see what happens.”
