Hot Ones’ Sean Evans and Keke Turn Up the Spice

Well, well, well, you'd never guess who we've got swinging by the podcast today. Some of y'all know him as the hot wing expert. Others know him as one of the fiercest interviewers in the game. And me, I might know him as a potential future suitor. Yes, my boo, Sean Evans, is in the building. Sean is the chief creative officer of First We Feast and the host of Hot Ones. And with over 4 billion views, an Emmy nomination, and being named one of Time 100's most influential creators, safe to say he clearly knows how to connect. So today, we're getting into the art of interviewing, how you ask the right questions, build real connections, and create moments people actually feel. And also, how you navigate public perception, especially when you're trying to protect yourself and your craft. So, let's bring the heat. Because, baby, this is it. This is Keke Palmer. And, baby, this is Sean Evans. No matter what we're doing in the car, just chilling. Pop on Amazon Music, sit back and listen. Life, love, sex, science, covering it all. Especially the bad, because money always involves. No matter what it is, we're going to make it make sense. Nothing else to do but kick it with the homies and kids. So grab you a drink and a snack you enjoy and get into the vibe that only one can smell. You know it's your girl. Baby, this is, this is Keke. Baby, this is Keke. Keke Palmer, yeah. Today's episode is brought to you by the new drinks at McDonald's. Six new drinks, crafted sodas with cold foam, refreshers with popping boba and freeze-dried fruit, and trust, they are giving everything. Now, let's get in today's show. Sean! Hey there. Good to see you. It's so good to see you. I'm on your side of the world. I know, I know. Come on. Come on. How have you been feeling in New York? The weather's been nice. It is. Spring's starting. I feel good. It's good to be here. Good to see you on a Friday afternoon. I know. I was so excited and I'm so thrilled for our game. He has no idea what it's going to be. But you did do these pre-show pull-up questions, so I'm going to get into this. Wait a minute. Your zodiac sign, you're a Taurus. Yes. Your moon is Scorpio. I feel that I felt that. You knew that. I could feel that. You know who helped me figure, SZA actually figured this stuff out for me. You told her your time and everything. My time. The date, the location, all of the things. You have a lot of good stuff going on. You have a rising in Libra. I do feel that I see you always having a nice look on. Your aesthetic is always good. That's what we know about Libras. Okay, yeah, yeah. I was hoping you'd teach me about this. Moon is Scorpio. A little mystery. You know, very, always can get what they need to get done done. You know, like this is the goal. Tracks. Boom. And then Taurus. Do you feel stubborn at times? In certain things. That's what I always feel like filling out these sorts of things. I don't know. I guess sometimes that makes sense to me. I mean, that's how astrology can be. Sometimes it's like on the nose and other times it's like this could be anybody on any given day. Do you know what I think I do? I think I have like a strong gut on something. And then if something doesn't feel right, like my body physically like won't let me do it. I love that. I do think that there is like a real like wall. Like I think that there is a certain Taurus stubbornness, I guess, if I was to diagnose it. Also, that sounds like discernment too. Sounds like you have a really good intuition with yourself and you're like, oh no. I ain't going there. That's good. Your love language. Quality time and words of affirmation. Now, is this what you want to hear or this is how you give it out? I think it's reciprocal. Like I think it's both ways. I think that's what works for me. And then I think that that's also how I express it. I also do want words. You know, I feel like I show it with physical touch and quality time. I feel like that's an act of service. I feel like that's probably how I'm giving it out. But how I want to receive it is tell me that I'm great. I'm checking some boxes then. You must tell me. You must tell me. What's a question you wished you were asked more in an interview? I mean, you're always interviewing. Yeah. You know, I think it's interesting because no one really talks to me about doing actual interviews. You know, when I sit down and do interviews, people are always like, oh, like, what's the craziest thing that happens on Hot Ones? Like, how's your stomach doing? Like those sorts of questions. But I never really get, like, questions about doing interviews, which I find interesting. I'm very excited. I'm very excited because that's actually all my questions. Who is someone that you met that made you feel starstruck? This was really cool to me. Gordon Ramsay. Never knew you liked chefs like that. Well, I think it was because when we shot with him, there was such internet peer pressure to push us into a room together. Like, I felt bad doing Hot Ones because every time we'd be like, this week on Hot Ones, all of our comments would be like, when are you having Gordon Ramsay on the show? And then same with him. Like, his Instagram was just full of like, when are you doing Hot Ones? So I felt like the internet kind of peer pressured us into a room together. So it had this. It had this elevated importance to it, like a real kind of playoff game, like a YouTube Super Bowl kind of feeling to it. So then when he walked into the room, plus you have those expectations that he's going to tear our wings apart, you know, like he's going to like be a force in the room. How was it though, actually? Because I feel like I didn't see this ep. He, to me, is a teddy bear. Like, I love him so much. I feel like he's like a showbiz uncle to me at this point. So it was like breaking all that down. But like seeing him in the room, I was like, oh, my gosh, it's happening. That's crazy. And then you also said Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Viola Davis, and Cate Blanchett. Great taste. Thank you. All these people are like exceptional in their lane. Well, I think that's why. You know, like if like Cate Blanchett or like Viola Davis is going to come in and do Hot Ones, I'm always like, how did we book? How did this happen? Do they know what they're getting themselves into? So that, I think, adds to it. Conan, I was such a fan of growing up. So then when it comes full circle, like this person who I grew up watching their show and now they're on mine, there's something about that. That's crazy. And then David Letterman is crazy. Yeah. To me, like the earliest core memories I have in my life was watching Letterman with my dad. That was like the fun thing that we do when my mom was out of town, like the fun, like naughty, like the boys being boys kind of thing. And then I met him last year. I did Conan O'Brien's Kennedy Center Honors for the Mark Twain Prize for American Common. There's like a dinner beforehand. And I'm looking at the I'm looking at the, you know, name tags. Yeah. Like who's sitting here. And I'm like, damn, I'm at a good table. You know, that's John Mulaney, Adam Sandler. And then like across the way was David Letterman. And then when he walked in, because he's like later than everybody, like sits down. I remember he grabs a dinner roll out of the middle of the table, throws it at Conan across the restaurant. And I was like, whoa, like that's him. And that's you up in that at that table with them. I mean, you are. I mean, you know, I mean, but it makes sense because of what you've been able to do within our generation and in this space. I mean, that's. That's what we'll be looking at 20 years. I'm sitting up there with Sean Evans. You know what I mean? Well, let's go back to the beginning, because you're also a Midwesterner like myself. You're from Crystal Lake, Illinois. And I'm from Robbins, Illinois. I don't know. What's Crystal Lakes vibe? Is it very cornfield? It's like the last suburb. I feel like I think like beyond that, it's all cornfields, but it's pretty far out. You know, it's like an hour, 20 minute drive. Is this north? Is this northwest? Northwest. Northwest. OK. Metro Union Pacific Northwest. Wow. Take it almost to the end of the road. Take it almost to the end of the line. So growing up there was like. It was actually like an awesome child of the 90s experience. Now that I look back on it, it was very much a ride my bike around the neighborhood little league kind of experience. And I remember the street that I grew up on. Everybody had kids that were all within three years of each other. So it was like, oh, they're playing basketball in the driveway over here. They're skateboarding over there. There's a super soaker fight in the backyard over here. You know, there was always like stuff going on. And I do. I look back and think of it as kind of like the quintessential 90s suburban experience. I mean, I do think John Hughes got it right. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Right out of that. And like John Hughes also, you know, like from that area, too, or is like making movies at least in that area. So I think that like the John Hughes vibe did kind of track with my experience growing up. I do feel like growing up in the Midwest is like such a dope like way to grow up. What do you feel like is the most Midwestern thing about you to even. I think it's like my mom was. The nicest person I've ever known. And I think that that kind of rubs off where there's always this kind of make sure I'm not stepping on anyone's toes, make sure I'm not rocking the boat like everybody. Okay. Sort of a thing that I think I still have to this day. And I also think that it gave me the ability to kind of sit at any lunch table. You know, when I was growing up in high school, like I felt like, you know, you'd have friends from this group, like these guys on the football team, like these guys who do plays, these guys who are musical. Like whatever. So I think all of those things kind of informed what I do now, which is always trying to catch a rhythm with other people's personalities and doing mostly celebrity interviews. So you're going to have big personalities. I think a lot of that was shaping in a way. I mean, you're very quick on your feet and you talk about watching like David Letterman or even Howard Stern growing up. What tactics do you think you were picking up that you use in your style of journalism? Well, I think there's different things like I don't know, I do think I have. Like my own style. But I think a thing that I pick up on is Letterman had this kind of irreverence, especially later on in his career where, you know, he's got this like big, huge show. But I think he'd more or less this is just my take on it. But he'd more or less like stop the kind of like ratings wars with Leno and just kind of would be himself out there and almost had like an irreverent view of like his own job in a way, which I always liked, too, which I was like, too, like looking back now is like not taking what I do too seriously. Like. Ultimately, at the end of the day, I'm a chicken wing talk show host, you know, and I should just kind of lean in and embrace that. that side of it and like not try to make it too big and I think that's something that stuck with me from Letterman and then I think in Howard it was just the kind of way that he'd kind of lull you into a web you know that you didn't even know that you're really like leaning into you are excellent at that because what I love so much watching you even though I'm in the experience obviously haven't been interviewed by you several times is like you say you have your own style of that same sentiment where you have an arc that you're building from the beginning with everything that you've pulled that brings around to the conversation you're deciding to have with that artist with that person about themselves yeah I mean do you decide when you're going to have somebody on that this is what I think about them this is what I want people to at least learn or know about them and this is how I'm going to get there or yeah I mean it's it is a funny thing that you're filling out like it's a funny thing to think about or how you kind of chess match it or how the Tetris you're filling out like it's a funny thing to think about or how you kind of chess match it or how the blocks kind of stack on top of each other because I guess when I'm looking at it there's I'll marinate in somebody's life for a week if I have a week before I sit down with them walk a mile in their shoes and then you do a lot of armchair psychology when you're doing that you're kind of like trying to figure this person out but then you don't want to overly put them in a box because all of the things that you're watching from them is like a version of them in a box you know so you want to think about how do I like well what do I find interesting about this this person what am I naturally just intellectually curious about that should lead and then how am I going to show a different side that isn't already represented in all these things and that could be a risk you know like sometimes that works out sometimes that doesn't uh but I think it's worth going there because then you're going to have a different vibe on the other side of it and then that's why I think um you know in addition to the wings it is that interview trying to meet the guest halfway so they're always eating the next wing that I think ultimately gives hot ones that kind of what's it like to have a beer with this person exactly and getting them out of there almost like how comedy or horror can act in film and tv where it gets you off your feet but not in a negative way like it's always so positive with hot ones but you're still kind of knocking that person off their feet because with that wing you can't you gotta you can't think too much right yeah yeah the PR training goes out the window when you're just trying to survive out there exactly I mean when this idea came to you you're working at complex like tell me the story they come in with this idea I think it's what is it Chris Chris Schoenberger yeah so he comes in and says hey I want you to eat wings with folks so really how it worked out is uh we were at complex and back in 2015 2014 that started this wave where every magazine became a youtube channel so in order to keep our jobs we had to come up with some sort of video product and then Chris and I were honestly just like water cooler buddies in the office like we would just always be chatting and had a good vibe and first we feast at that time was just a written blog uh it was winning James Beard awards and stuff it was cool it's like this blog at the end of the month and I was like at the intersection of food and pop culture but it was kind of if you know you know sort of a thing um so he had to come up with a video product we were talking about things for a while uh we were in the complex office so celebrities would be walking the halls all the time so we were like maybe a celebrity interview show would be viable just because of our proximity to it and then you know we needed like a food element because it was a food brand we had this idea that celebrity interview shows are kind of boring why are they boring everyone's in kind of a PR driven flight pattern what could we do to disrupt it and he said he was like well what if we had the meat scorching hot chicken wings over the course of the interview as a way to break them down and I was like you're a genius and we ordered a pizza and started hammering out what a pilot would look like and working on the pitch and then shot the pilot with Tony Ayo from G-Unit our first ever guest and that was like 11 years ago and we haven't stopped shooting him since and I remember I think I did mine's in 2016 yeah yeah yeah early you're a few years ago I think I did mine's in 2016 so I was one of the early guests I remember when they first told me about this show I'm like what the hell is this show you know what I mean but I was down because it was so cool and like you said it was all at this beginning place and I'm so curious of what you feel and what you think about it because you are a part of shaping this as well the conversation around pop culture media this meta narrative thing that's going on that I don't think we have all the answers to but it's happening because we came up at the height of reality tv and then social media being 90s babies like what are your thoughts about that as it pertains to what you're providing into the culture like how do you view it yeah I mean I think I'm just like a star in the constellation of it all you know like now there's so much of it you know when we first started there was only a couple internet celebrity interview shows maybe like two or three you know and uh now there's like 20 of them and they're all good you know I think a lot of them are really good right now um and then you still have the late night so I think that what's happening right now is you have you know what's going on culturally where it's like everybody's in kind of smaller pockets of like watching and absorbing things tailored specifically to their tastes and interests and i think that that's like the future of it is just a lot of small studios that are rather than you know like sort of monoculture going out and everybody's seeing them like i don't know just like smaller camps i guess and people getting to choose more i think before we were forced because we just had this way of viewing media that whatever they told us was the best thing was the best thing, which could be true or it's always subjective, but now you can just go find whatever it is. I think there's a lot of, there's something that's empowering about that, but then also we run into the thing where it's like, how do I find the thing? Yeah, and I'm a somaticulture kind of thing, you know, where we can all talk and there's movie references that we all understand or things going on in shows that everybody can talk about, and that's obviously different now, and I'm not sure it's coming back. I know. It's weird, but I'm excited to see where it goes and how to be a part of it. What's something about you day-to-day that would surprise people who watch your work all the time? You know, I don't know if it would surprise anybody. I'm just like a routine person, you know? Really? So waking up in the morning, what are you doing? Gym first. Come on, gym! Gym first thing, yeah. Let's say I don't have a shoot that day and I'm not traveling that day or don't have an event or whatever. Gym in the morning, like an hour lift, 30 cardio, hit the sauna, then I'm at Whole Foods, I'm getting the hot bar, like that's what I'm eating that day, I'm going back to my apartment, I'm working with my editor Colin for a couple of hours, then I'm going to do some research on whoever I'm interviewing that week for a couple more hours, and then I'm going to smoke a joint and watch a college basketball game and go to bed. This is the I'm a good man schedule. Okay? Everything was thump, thump, But I love what you said about if I don't have anything going on because those are like the perfect days. Yeah, right, right, right. Otherwise. Fewer and far between these days. Man, they really are. Because I feel like First We Feast, I feel like that Hot Ones was first. We're in one place, people come, da-da-da. But I mean, I just did it with you. We was in L.A. We were doing it with you going there. When you think about the success of the show, at any point, was it scary? Did it feel like it's falling away from you? How do you maintain what it was in the beginning as it grows so massively? Yeah, there's a lot to unpack there. There are certain times where I can get nostalgic about the beginning and how it's just me and Chris and a dream and us against the world and always traveling together and then putting everything into these weekly episodes and then seeing the growth and the climb and all of the excitement from that and catching your first white whale guest and breaking a million subscribers and all of these things that happen. And then I think, the deeper and longer you go, these achievements that before would make your entire week just become mile markers that you're passing on the highway or something. And I miss that side of it, that sort of the youthful ambition and the delusion and the excitement of all of that. But then also too, time also gives you a much healthier mindset with the whole thing or experience or stacking it up where you have some years where you crush it and everything's crazy and then you have a year where things are down and you think it's the end. But then when you go through it and you have enough, it's just like, oh, it all ebbs and flows and changes and it's not like this sort of nonstop trajectory up. You take two steps forward, one step back, three steps forward, two steps back. You know, it becomes this kind of dance and I'm now, I think that's given me a better, healthier mindset on the whole thing. So now, I just really only look at this as like, the next challenge or the next assignment or the next thing. I really think I've become like a Pac-Man who's always just like eating the next pebble. And like that, I think, has been healthy because I'm just like, you know what? If this interview is good enough, then they'll pay me to do another one. And if that's good enough, then they'll pay me to do another one. And that's kind of how I started and that's still to this day is what fuels me, I guess. Did you ever have an end goal? Did you ever say, well, you know, I would love to be able to be doing, you know, I would love to have my own radio show. I would love to have, like, were there, any things for you that were in the beginning and that still stand for where you want to go? You know, I think I've done so many laps around any expectation that I ever had for myself that it's all house money at this point. You know, like, I never dreamed as big as I live, you know? Oh my gosh, that is so cool. I don't aspire for anything bigger, to be honest with you. I think I've gotten more out of it than I ever deserve. So like from this point forward, I think there's a responsibility to the audience who's been so loyal to us for so long. And that keeps, keeps me motivated. There's a responsibility to my guests. You know, these people who've achieved amazing things and have stories to tell, and I owe it to them to make sure that I have what's hopefully a thoughtful career-spanning interview when I sit down with them and I'm prepared for it. But other than that, that like i don't look at anybody in hollywood anybody in the entire landscape and say like oh i'd rather have that or i want that next or whatever like i really wouldn't trade places with anybody i'm very comfortable in the lazy boy that i'm in that's that midwest straight up now you were also a copywriter in chicago i was like look i was doing my research yeah you were i tried to get on to my sean evans of it all um what type of stuff would you write about so actually it was like um it's like the city's tourism agency was called choose chicago i don't know what's called now maybe it's still called choose chicago but sometimes i'll see the billboards up in in new york but it's like basically working for the city to promote the city of chicago on a tourism level so if you ever see like in new york you go to a bus stop and there's some sort of uh aerial shot of lake michigan and the beach and the weather and like they're like visit chicago you know it was it was doing that sort of stuff wow so if you were a copywriter today what would you do? i don't know that's the other side of it too is like i don't even know like it's like oh if you didn't have this job what would you be doing i would not be i was not a great copywriter you know what i mean i had to get out of there um but uh you're hilarious but i don't know if i'd do anything i can only eat wings and ask questions i think that's it i'm doing exactly what i'm meant to do what is the trick of getting somebody aside from the wings of it all to get comfortable and talk the way that they do on hot ones i think it's a good question we could probably collab on this answer you know yes this episode is brought to you by the brand new drinks over at mcdonald's okay y'all these drinks are officially the outside drinks of 2026 i'm talking concert season game day season vintage market season picnic in the park with a cute fit and a lover season these drinks were built for any occasion worth showing up for y'all the sprite berry blasts with sprite blue raspberry and cold foam on top that's your drink before the headliner hits the stage the strawberry watermelon refresher with freeze-dried strawberries with a little caffeine to keep the energy going is what you and your girlfriends are going to be sipping at the post brunch afters six new drinks total crafted sodas with cold foam and refreshers with popping boba and freeze-dried fruit that go perfectly with even the chilliest of days and the hottest shenanigans before you pull up anywhere i know you're stopping at mcdonald's first because that's just the move now new drinks now at mcdonald's baby we outside but i think in a lot of these cases the interviews that i'm doing are dependent on the generosity of the guest you know in the effort of the guest you know of meeting me halfway and i think you know if you walk into uh an interview setting and you can tell that someone has done the research they care about the things that they're doing and they're doing it for the things that you've made or they they uh care about telling your story then you're gonna extend for that person more so than if you felt like it was just a scratch and repeat kind of interview you know so i always think that yes we have a lot of hoops that people are jumping through like we're having like oh the next wing is homegrown hell like if you you know like how am i gonna get that person to extend for me like how am i gonna get that person to have a good attitude and eat the next wing you know like how am i gonna keep them tethered to the format of the show you know like and i think it's through that effort on our side on doing the interview where like hopefully the guest even if they're not enjoying the wing so much or they're enjoying the interview more than they do most interviews so i think that that's always the goal in that or that's always the way to thread the needle the other thing that i think about is it's so crazy to do an interview on camera right like everything about it is crazy i'm meeting somebody usually for the first time and in that we have to create the interview and then we have to create the interview and then we have to create this rhythm this energy this sense of trust this chemistry uh and then we're doing it in this ridiculous context of having all these cameras pointed at us and then presenting it publicly like really that should fail like 95 percent of the time you know so true it's so awkward so i think that coming in prepared and like having all of that as a backstop and then hoping for the best yeah is the best chance to make that all work or at least that's what i've taught myself yeah i mean it makes me think about what you said with the whole david letterman thing that there's a there's an element to that that keeps it grounded that the awareness that you have that even your personality is when we're having these conversations with you it's kind of like hey this is just the thing and it makes it feel a little bit more chill what do you feel like you you learned about human nature i mean you've spent so many times talking to people asking them questions what do you feel like is a consistency that you've realized across the board well i think the consistent thing is the inconsistency in everybody's story like everybody's path is so different you know and it's like athlete to athlete the path is completely different actor to actor musician to musician you know like nobody has the exact same route that they've taken to get to where they are even if they're on the same red carpets or in the same film or whatever so i think that it's that side of it how many different shapes and colors this whole thing can take um and it's also like i think taught me something about like the spirit of it all you know like we'll put these people in uncomfortable situations i always joke that it's like the most comfortable least comfortable interview that you'll ever do um but it's just on the other side of it it's people fighting through that when they really do not have to at all you know i saw demi and she was like walking like walking apart i was like she asked us if we have anything hotter that was crazy and for you does it ever get too damn hot i mean you know i know you said you grew up watching the bears and eating hot sauce with your dad you did do your research good god so you're used to hot stuff but do you ever get tired like are you like taking acid reflux like yeah yeah well you know i i think i take better care of myself outside of the show because of the physical toll of the show so i think ultimately it's a net positive maybe i'm an idiot and i'm just talking myself into something but that's the way i look at it um but it does sometimes get uncomfortable for me you know like the bomb beyond insanity is the bomb beyond insanity you know it really is sometimes i get like a little head high and i'm sweating and you know like i i feel the adrenaline rush of it all just as our guest would i think the only thing is i'm more used to it like i know no matter the dark place that i'm in that the sun will come out eventually and i do feel a responsibility to put up a confident calm front for the guest yeah because if i'm freaking out then what are you gonna be doing okay if you ever went on bear grills running wild and he wants you to rappel down a cliffside but he's all nervous putting the harness on or whatever you're not gonna follow him yeah yeah exactly you know you what i'm also thinking too i don't know if i thought about it ever when we did our interviews maybe i thought or assumed that it was just like your interview style but you have such a rhythm and you're like oh my god i'm gonna be like oh my voice a very rhythmic talking voice i think it's like if you knew what he's going in there and then i can't memorize i can't do it but i'm gonna learn it but you have such a type of voice it's good to listen to and follow i'm literally going on a roller coaster with you yeah there's a rhythm and syntax i think to the way i write but also to the way i speak that's so interesting yeah now back in 2017 you went on the rocks diet what was that about what made you want to go on the rocks diet and what did it include so i think this would be pre-hot ones days and i do remember you the research yeah look at you look at you had to do a wink little wink so um that was before hot ones but again this is complex like hey you got to come up with videos because they're gonna be a magazine around much longer so um yeah it was an idea i remember reading this book in college called paper lion about this writer who would do these different experiences like he was like playing with the detroit lions through training camp and all these different things and i was always like oh that's a cool thing that this guy is doing so let me try to do that where i live a day or as somebody else do a different thing but the rocks diet what i remember about that is he it would be like this giant plate of brown rice and vegetables and like cod disgusting and then each plate would weigh as much as like a range rover tire you know it's just this very dense food and a lot of it so i would just be shoveling that food and it would be you know kind of gross to get at the end and you're uncomfortable with that cake but then he's on this exactly but i wish it was cake it was just cod and brown rice so uh but when you'd finish the meal he's on you know a two-hour interval thing so like by the time he'd finish the next one's on the way that was brutal yeah that was brutal that was brutal memories i'd much rather do hot ones yeah what is your favorite movie top three oh top three um so i love the dark night so that was good i used to do uh architecture tours of the chicago river in lake michigan and it was like while they were filming that while they were filming that in chicago so i'd see you know on lower wacker like an overturned ambulance and all these like gotham police cars all over the place so i remember like seeing the making of it while it was happening and then going to the um then going to the uh midnight screening and like loving it so much but i feel like i kind of was in it while it was happening and then it scratched that itch on the other side so i felt some kind of connection to it i love this movie nobody's ever seen it called windy city heat which is like this deep cult classic comedy starring perry caravello nobody's gonna know this but i think it's time that i spread the good word but it's all this like elaborate practical joke like jimmy kimball produced it it's this elaborate practical joke where they have this kind of like a little bit of where they have this guy believing that he's the star of a movie oh no and they go through the whole thing and it's all very real and you know you kind of see the way like the ego of it and the the twists and turns and all they put this guy through but i've seen that movie like does the guy know it makes me no he doesn't he's the only one that's not in it no no no i know it's the meanest like the truman show it's the meanest yeah it's like the meanest joke ever but it's so insanely funny i've watched the movie like 50 times laugh every time i see it the windy city heat i'm glad i could glad i could borrow the platform to spread the spread the great gospel of that um that is hilarious and then third would be this is a good question i almost want to like it tells you so much about somebody i know i know this is good this is good um oh brother where art thou is a movie that i love yeah i've got a lot of range i've got a lot of range over here there's a lot of weight to it i mean dark knight got a lot of weight too it's commercial but it's a heavy one yeah yeah yeah christopher nolan and then we have brother where art thou that's tough what do you love about that i like the music i like this uh spectacle of it all i like the kind of um odyssey journey um every part of it i i love uh the dialogue just i don't know like the coen brothers way of doing dialogue is always unique yeah always a thing for me and uh also too because i'm on the spot and i feel like the walls are closing in and i had to reach back i had to reach in the back and grab one and throw it out real quick okay what shows did you grow up watching um like the seminal shows of my youth we grew up in a good time you know the 90s fridays yeah of course that was a huge for me but that was yeah family matters into boy meets world into step by step come on day by day fresh start over a different hand to play yeah i love it i love tgif yeah that was a great time yeah that was such a good time yeah that was a great time yeah that was a great time yeah and i often think that with hot ones the thing that i'm always inspired by when i think about it is i actually want the viewer experience of it to be more like a family member or more like a family matters than it is like a charlie rose interview like i always think there's like some sort of sentimentality or like nostalgia i always think about like the christmas specials yeah yeah yeah family matters or whatever and like what those did and i always feel like i want that same watch experience with hot ones tgif was in a lot of ways yeah formative for like how i look at escapism television absolutely and also very i look back on that stuff and sometimes i think i probably can over just contextualize pop culture it's just like i'm always but it's also you're in the soup of it all and i'm like what does it mean to me like i'm watching sabrina teenage witch and i'm like wow it was about our internal world like i'm always going so deep with everything so growing up for you like what music were you listening to i was uh 90s rap kid yeah come on yeah yeah yeah like uh i remember you know at a very early age yeah the first the first i'm trying to think like the first cd i ever bought i think i went and i got um uh coolio gangsters pair oh my gosh tlc crazy sexy cool yes bone thugs east 1999. i think that was my first ever bone thugs and harmony was itch that video was scary i recently went across roads you wouldn't watch crossroads again it was scary like everybody was gone like it was actually really and it's so funny you're talking about coolio why was i watching dangerous minds not too long ago and that movie is insane uh michelle pfeiffer goes to like the black lady house to tell her like your sons need to come back to school you know they're like we ain't raising no doctors and lawyers why why would that mama say that it was just crazy some of those like white saver movies from that era she's going to the ladies has been like your son they need to come to school we ain't raising no doctors and lawyers why why not why are we painting ourselves in a corner that way it's so funny but yeah i remember yeah like my mom would have to go and buy you know because they had a parental sticker oh my gosh blockbuster i was yeah yeah i was going to where's i going there's a store in crystal lake called uh flipside i remember best buy best buy do we still have that we still have i hope i hope yeah fries is what i'm thinking retail the retail has a fallen off yeah okay so your questions are famously detailed at what point does the research become a great question like when do you know like are you like i mean i don't want your uh you give me your ip for how you do it but is it like things people don't know about so and yeah yeah i think a good thing to do is to start local like where they are right yeah so if you you have a guest and i don't know they're from upstate new york and they're an actor and maybe they were starting off in you know like some sort of theater scene somewhere you know and like somebody's going to be writing about that stuff or um if you're interviewing viola davis for example and like she's at juilliard like what was juilliard writing about her you know like when she first started to bubble up you know like because those are the first outlets the first eyes they're gonna see somebody rising so that's like a good place to start is in like regionality is kind of important when you're like looking for sources um and then also too just uh expose yourself to as much information as you possibly can so yes like read all the magazine profiles do all that stuff i also think it's a good idea and this is probably something that's happened more so over the last couple of years but if they're an actor watch the movies you know like end your night with a double feature like if they're um an artist like rather than like watching every interview you should listen to the album because a lot of times the uh artistic expression of these people will tell you just as much about them if not more than the things that you're reading the profiles that you're reading the interviews that you're watching whatever was this always your style and what you discovered or when you decided to do hot ones it was kind of like this is the approach i'm going to take well no i think when we first started i think the vision of it was that it would be this kind of internet sideshow super bowl event like maybe we'd just put out like four a year or something like i certainly didn't think we'd be programming it right every single week when we first started and i think back in the day the idea was more of you know the heat is on like swinging interrogation light sort of situation like it was much more um aggressive and adversarial in tone i think when it first started our idea for it wow but i think over time uh what ended up happening was there was this cult audience that rallied around it early on that wasn't a big huge hit or anything but it would be the same people that were like in the comments every week you know so that made me feel good right that's like they're rallying for this specific guest like these are people who are watching every week regardless of who the uh yeah and then i think that that really inspired me because it gave me an idea of its potential because i never had huge dreams for the show but i'm like wait a second every eye that we get in the tent every set of eyes that we get in the tent stays in the tent you know so if we can just grow this tent well what's going to make this thing grow we have this interesting spectacle you know but that can only take you so far if you have what is unimpeachably uh an excellent or viable interview show and then you combine it with this novel hook yes that's how you can have a hit that lasts for a long time but you can't have one without the other and have that kind of longevity so it was really the fans that rallied around the show early on that made us think we really need to elevate it what episode or what few episodes was the turning point of you realizing maybe this is going like somewhere crazy yeah i think it didn't take long i knew it was going like somewhere crazy yeah i think it didn't take long i knew it was going to be like somewhere crazy yeah i think it didn't take long i knew it was going to be like somewhere crazy yeah i think it didn't take long i knew it was going to be like somewhere crazy yeah i think it didn't take long i knew it yeah i think it didn't take long i knew it was going to be like somewhere crazy yeah i think it didn't take long i knew it was a crazy show from the first episodes that we shot i think like machine gun kelly was like the second episode that we shot he's standing on the table he's doing laps around the room and you know when something's going crazy in the studio it's going to translate to camera even better you know so i remember like while that was happening i was like this is insane there's no show like this this is totally it's it's real it's wild it's spectacle all of that i'm like once we publish this and present it people are gonna be like what the you know like it's gonna blow people's minds so i remember feeling that before an audience ever caught up to it all um but that would be interesting i would imagine if i pinpointed it's like somewhere in the middle of season two is when i think we started to kind of like catch a rhythm and and i remember in college i'd watch a lot of nardwar interviews and i always remember you know when he's startling people with information what he's creating is a real human reaction you know you have he's snapping people out of that pr-driven flight pattern so that was always disembodiment inspiring for me so i think the first time that like when that started happening on our show i'm like oh this is great because you have true human reactions to the spice you have true human reactions to the interview and that punctures the whole artifice of like we talked about earlier this completely ridiculous setup that we're all in how's it working with your brother because i know i have so much in here yeah you have a lot of cards um you know what he's great it's was it from the beginning or were you like come on super early on he's probably been working with us now for seven or eight years yeah and actually the whole show you know hot ones the company's grown first week feast has grown but really doing hot ones has not changed since the beginning and all the same people are doing it you know i've had the same producer for eight or nine years worked with my brother this whole time me and chris obviously from day one you know but yeah i remember uh our camera guys are all the same sound you know it's just yeah it's just uh always been the exact same way all the way through and then i do appreciate it because it's like when it's your brother you don't really have to manage him yeah yeah i just sent a text hey where you're shooting with this person on 4-18 you know need the packet by 4-15 and then he just thumbs it up you know I don't have to he's baby brother? baby brother yeah it's just y'all two it's just us the way that you looked and smiled made me feel like it was a trick question it's just us okay just you guys two what kind of brother were you he was a couple years younger than me but it was the you know that's a good question I think I was a very annoying little sister really bad I think yeah I wonder I mean I think it's almost the same role that I'm having now I feel like where I'm just I'm still kind of a big brother to him I feel like yeah and that hasn't changed much so helpful never not like Pete and Pete you weren't like no yeah yeah yeah we weren't at each other's throats or anything like that it's just a good like a not too hot not too cold relationship you know sort of thing we're uh Goldilocks just right I think love that shout out to Gavin is there ever any pressure that you have to stay consistent you know with you know because again people have all these high expectations for the show yeah yeah do you get to a point where it's like okay we're gonna have to cut you know what I mean it's like we're at the season last season I lost boom you know like do you how do you feel about that overall I think an interview is something that no one's naturally good at it I think you have to it's like stand up like you just have to get on stage and fail a hundred times before you start to identify a perspective or point of view and then I think too the longer you do it and the more that you commit to it especially as like you start to rise or the show starts to rise because a big thing is when a guest comes in is getting them to trust me and trust the process you know that's always like I think the hardest hurdle that you have to jump and you have to jump it quickly and now so many people kind of walk in already trusting me or already trusting the process because it's gotten to a level where they want to be on the show rather than us persuading them to be on the show so all of that I think actually makes my job a little bit easier I think gives me a better ability to get something good out of people when I sit down with them but I also think like you were saying the expectations I try to have a healthy outlook on it where you know try to aim for everything being a seven or an eight you know you'll have some tens you know and you'll have some bricks hopefully you have more tens than you have bricks but if the viewer experience is consistently a seven or an eight that's how you get longevity out of things so I try not to beat myself up about like not everything being a ten all of the time like not everything being an instant classic or huge hit all of the time just make the viewer experience of that a seven or an eight and that's enough to like scratch the itch every single time and I also am kind of like trying to wrap my head around the ebbs and flows of it all you know just on this given day I'm sitting down with this person we have this time try to meet the moment make the best out of it good things happen when you have that kind of approach so I just try to stay small and stay consistent like don't think bigger than the next shoot the next project the next day yeah again it's very midwest now you have an interesting take on cancel culture where you talk about shows and podcasts like this and you know if they should be held accountable for having certain people on how do you feel about that when it comes to interview shows well I don't think like if you're a host of a show that you're necessarily like responsible for the guest's behavior and perpetuity forever and I also don't think that you know I also yeah yeah extend some grace for yourself you're not responsible for what I do five years from now and this video being up but I also don't know if it's like the place of a talk show host to be like the arbiter of what is and what is not okay you know and then I also think though there's other sides of it where you know there's a certain responsibility I think you know like there's I think there's certain guests there's certain things where it's like more of a journalism setting than it is an entertainment setting right and in that case I think there are different rules involved but um but overall you know like there's times you just have to like bring somebody in or like you know you're shooting with somebody like if you agreed to do it you know yeah do it always thinking about that especially with with my podcast is how can I contextualize this and show awareness around something but then still allow the conversation to pose as something for the audience to get engage on on any given topic you know because sometimes it does feel like or the idea is often this is just something thoughtless you know as opposed to no this should mean something and we should even if this is not somebody that I agree with or have the same ideas as at least it's something for you to engage with and talk about that I'm platforming that leads to a bigger discussion and I think it gets it's difficult to figure out how to how to exactly how to handle that sometimes right or throw that needle because sometimes like the tide the feedback that comes in and to I don't know sometimes you can get it wrong you know sometimes you can just step in it and mess up yes exactly that's the other side of it but ultimately you know just next day next very much next day next shoot okay well I mean it's important for me to talk about me being on hot boots you know that's a big deal there is a very specific kind of joy that happens when you get three generations of your family all under one roof and if you know you know I'm talking about mom teaching the grandkids something in the backyard daddy on the grill doing what he does best the cousins running around being feral in the best way possible and let me tell you that kind of moment you're not really getting that in a hotel in a hotel everybody ends up in their own room doors closed doing their own thing starts to feel more like a logistics exercise than a family memory but when I book a stay on Airbnb like when I went to Big Bear it's a whole different vibe you get a real home in a real neighborhood with enough space so nobody's on top of each other but still close enough that everybody's part of the same story and that's what makes it special spring is the perfect time to do it before summer gets hectic and everybody's schedules take over find a home on Airbnb and get your whole family under one roof trust me that's where the magic is do I get a crown or something because I actually feel like I've been on the most times I think you have actually been on the most times because we have to you have to factor in the studio the first time we did an episode during the quarantine this one's got a little sweetness to it I don't know how that always happens with me and you it's so cool it's so random I'll never forget even that first one that was just the most fun ever yeah I think it's like because you probably didn't totally know what you were walking into and then I feel like it was one of those where like the show kind of won you over while it was happening maybe and then it was probably you tell me was it kind of surprising to you the reaction that it got on the other side you know you do like so many interviews but then this one it almost becomes like a line on your IMDB or something I mean I feel like that became the beginning of my of the whole meme thing with me you know what I mean when people saw me on that first one with you where I'm like trying my hardest to X, Y, and Z and stay up and that was the first I think that might have been one of the first times that I ever saw me getting memed you were making deposits to the meme economy that day NFTs everywhere I know so yeah that was incredible why do you think I was a good Hot Ones guest? Because you're there's a lot of reasons that you're a great guest but you're obviously very charismatic you're smart you're beautiful you have a way of talking about the stuff that you do you know you're like you'll say something smart or thoughtful and then you'll provide an example from your career and then you'll undercut that with like a little joke and I think it just keeps the rhythm of all of that but then also too I think that we all give off like kind of gig watt frequencies you know like sometimes they just naturally match with people you really good that's what I'm telling you like the vibe that I do think that's why it's so special whenever we did the Hot Ones whenever we're talking and hanging out and people are always gagging about it because we do it's like we both being like we're just dancing what was the feedback you got when people saw us kiss I just got a lot of like that's my dog you know like that just a lot of it really I know I don't know what it did for you but it was great for my stock it was great for me as well I mean the comp first of all they're gonna be a ready for this because they like just want to see us together all the time right right well I always think that I think that sometimes I'm like we could never go broke because ultimately we could just we could just do like this is my dream for when we get we're old New Yorkers we do the we do the coffee mug coffee table like morning shows you know oh my god this is this is this is the thing we're Sonny and Sherry yeah Mark and Kelly now oh my gosh yes I love us waking up with a marriage yeah good morning guys that's what we could call it yeah Johnny Kiki Kiki and Sean in Chicago yeah I'm sure Perry Caravella be our first guest yeah we cannot yeah gosh that is wait actually now I'm kind of in love with this I actually love it as well I do love me and you something more yeah yeah yeah let's do that yeah I mean how does it feel now that you're in the talent space as well I mean it was like I'm interviewing but then now like I'm a celebrity and like people are in my business too like people are in my business too like Like, what do you feel of it? You know, it's all very. very exciting and fun and kind of a cartoon world, you know, that I try not to take too seriously or whatever. And, um, you know, but it's also a chance to learn new skills, learn new things. How do I pose on a red carpet? You know, like how do I handle all of these different situations, scenarios? I think it all helps the day job, you know, to go through all of these things. Um, and it's, I don't know, it's just, it's, it's strange to kind of look at where we started and then these different kind of mile markers that you hit along the way. And you're like, Whoa, what the hell happened? Cause it happens so slow. I feel like, I feel like I was like a frog that was just boiled one degree at a time. So I didn't feel it get so hot all of a sudden. Um, and so then now I'm just trying to catch up and react to it, but you know, I like somebody who's going to dress me for an award show and like, Oh, this is elevating my taste level. Like to something that I'm not capable of as a nineties kid from suburban Crystal Lake, Illinois. You know, and like all of these different things, um, that are all super exciting and fun. But, uh, I do just, I love my studio, you know, like that's still home for me. And, and, uh, but it's fun, I guess, to get out on a Friday night. How does it affect your dating life? Like, do you feel like you have to be now be more cautious? I think, yeah, that, but that could be dating life. That could be anything. I think like there is like a whole, uh, way in which you have to be more that, you know, as a midwife, I'd be like, Oh, everybody's just my friend and everybody has good intentions for me. Or whatever. And I think, um, I think that you have to be more cautious about like anything, like anybody that comes in your life, anything that comes in your life offers that come in, you know, like there's lots of different things I think where you have to be a lot more skeptical than my, you know, Midwest would want me to be. Is there a thing that you go by? Like, you know, when you're entering new situations, whether they be relational or business wise that you kind of help you to check off? I think I have like a good small, a circle around me, you know, like I just, there's people that are, I don't have, you know, uh, a big team or like a big circle or anything that's super tight, but everybody's really, really connected. So I always just try to get perspectives outside of my own, you know, like trust my own gut, but also to just the people around me as much as possible. Yeah. Community is everything. Yeah. Also you petitioned to have a hot ones nominated for an Emmy. Oh, that was a pretty incredible thing. What made you decide to do that? Yeah, I didn't, uh, you know, what actually, to be honest with you, when I saw that, that was news to me, you know, like, like I saw that, um, you know, like, like somebody, you know, sent me an article and, and, uh, I was like, Oh, okay. Cool. I guess. So did somebody else put it together? Yes. Maybe auntie, maybe somebody from auntie's side actually. Um, but I mean, I feel that it does deserve it though. So it does make sense to me. Well, I think that ultimately when I think about all of these things, it's like, um, late night, it was always the de facto cultural reference point for where you could find celebrities and looser and edgier environments. Yeah. So it's like in that way, hot ones, uh, is worthy of competition and comparison with all of those sort of traditionally, you know, award shows types like nominees. And then on top of it, like when you look at the cultural penetration, the performance, the eyeballs, like all of those different things, I think it does come to a point where even if it's not us or if it's not hot ones, like that is the future, you know, like we said, you know, there's this entire ecosystem of celebrity interview shows that are on the internet now. Like there's going to be more of them in 10 years and 15 and 20, and the best ones are going to come out. Like anybody who makes something new is going to do it here first. Um, so I think like ultimately those doors will open at some point and I guess hot ones is just kind of knocking on them right now. Yeah. I mean, then you also were named one of time one hundreds, most influential creators. How does that feel? You know, these are, they're all like fun and exciting things, you know, fun and exciting. Now all I think about is your mom being so sweet. Cause you're like, you're like, it's just lovely, you know? And I just, you know, it's great. It's yeah, it is. I, but ultimately I, the thing that the drug that I'm always chasing or the itch that I'm always trying to scratch is just big, good episodes, you know, like big, good interviews, like, um, like we were talking about with family matters. And, you know, I just remember the kind of feeling that I got from escapism television, especially at times when I really needed it. And so I just think like the ultimate privilege is now to be a conduit for that. And I think that's, I think that's a really good thing. I think that's a really good thing. That exact same feeling, you know, just for a new generation. So all these different fun things that are happening in my life and all these different sort of layers that get added to the cake every year, like it's all really cool. But, um, the thing that I'm always chasing and that I'm always inspired and always focused on is just making bangers. Just making like, have you ever had Barack Obama on? No, I've never had Barack Obama. I wonder what the secret service, uh, wing situation would be like, you know, can we just, can you just come on there? You want to see that Michelle neither? No, no, neither one. So maybe someday, but yeah, I wonder, yeah, I do wonder what, like, what feeding a world leader, well, scorching hot chicken wings is like, yeah, I'll tell you one thing. These wings are hot as Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, let's get into a quick rapid fire before we get into our game because we just need to know more about you, Sean. Okay. Okay. So let's start with this celebrity crush growing up. Ooh. Uh, growing up was, uh, TLC for all of them. Yeah. Hold on. No, no, no, no. Celebrity crush going up. My first one ever was left eye from a TLC. And I remember at one point on the topic of TV, there was this episode of living single, right? Where are the, where TLC would live and sing? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was, I was watching New York undercover after living single when I was in like third grade. I was a very precocious kid. MTV kid. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I remember there was this episode where he's having these like fantasy dreams and in these dreams, TLC is appearing in the episode. And I remember seeing left eye and like just something happening to me, like my heart dropping and like, you know, just like a thing and just happening to me and like walking up to my dad and being like, is it possible for someone who's my age now to grow up and look exactly like someone who's a grownup now? Like, cause I was like, I know I'm too young for left. But is it possible that there's like a left eye to be out there who's going to like 2.0 into a left eye? Like, I remember he was just reading the paper. I'll never forget this. He just dropped the paper, looked at me and goes, not exactly alike, but pretty similar. And then just went back to reading the paper. Like still remember that moment. It was just such a genuine reply from your dad, which I really love. He was just meeting me like, yeah. I remember when I watched Karate Kid and I asked my mom, where's that man now? She was like 40. I'm like, damn, he was so cute to me. Yeah. That's just not a reality that I wanted to face. Yeah. Yeah. You could have lied to me. The TLC movie. I know you did. I know you did. Close enough. Absolutely. Close enough from where I sit. Okay. Most uncomfortable interview moment. If you've had it, you don't seem uncomfortable. No, I actually like, despite the format, it is always like such a positive experience on the other side, but I'm trying to think of like uncomfortable moments. I mean, like I kind of go back to this, but I kind of, I love this episode, but I remember like DJ Khaled came in, in the first season tapped out by the third wing, you know, which was like an interesting thing because I have this big, long format. So it was like kind of an interesting thing where I'm sitting across from the person and then they completely like reject the format, you know, like in the beginning. And so then I'm like tethered into the machinery of this show and just trying to keep it going, you know, with somebody who's not going to participate on the other side. But then I don't know. Then there's like a certain, I know, I know, certain kind of like thing that happens in that episode is like a result of it being so off the wall and gone so that it's actually, I think like one of like the 10 most important episodes we've ever done for that reason. You know, like, so yeah, yeah. Go back, go back and watch that one. What did DJ Khaled create? Favorite place to go for a romantic date? Ooh. You know, I'm a food guy, you know, like I'm a restaurant guy. There's a, I like, I like the taste of like oysters or like caviar and like champagne on that kind of rich. Yeah. Yeah. Like that's, I like a celebratory kind of feel to it. Yeah. A little truffle, a little Wagyu. We're like naming everything duck fat, bone marrow, like everything. Yeah. All of those things. Yeah. And then like romantic, I'm like, I think maybe I just want to eat or something. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. That's what that comes down to. It's so funny. One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago is this restaurant called Alinea. Have you ever been? Yeah, of course I've been to Alinea. Oh my gosh. I love deconstructed like food. And like dinner is theater and all of that. Yep. Oh my gosh. I love murder mystery dinners as well. Very cool stuff. Just telling you. I'm taking notes. What is one thing that you can obsess over? Ooh. Any OCD vibes? Ooh, I think probably like in certain ways, uh, obviously obsessed with my job, obsessed with the show, but I'm not like overly obsessed. Yeah. About anything. Yeah. I can, I, I think I'm like kind of fickle. My shoes. Yeah. I'm fickle with hobbies and, and all like, yeah, like what am I into? I'm kind of into like jackets right now, but like other than that, like I've got like not much going on. Yeah. What do you consider a hobby for yourself? Um, just, I'm in the park every day, in the gym all the time. I love like a, I love a rooftop pool. Okay. I love a rooftop, rooftop pool. Love a resort vacation. Um, I love all this stuff too. Yeah. Yeah. It's that gigawatt energy, you know? Literally. Okay. What's your dream hobby? Hot Ones guests dead or alive. I know you've gotten this one a million times. I think the best one ever, if they were still alive, would be Chris Farley. Like, just kind of made in a lab for Hot Ones and would just be, like, an iconic, perfect, amazing Hot Ones. I would love to see you with him. I would love to see you with Robin Williams. Yeah, yeah, same. Yeah, Robin Williams is up there, too. Jim Carrey came yet? No, not yet, but that would be. We need Jim. Yeah, we need Jim. There's a lot that we need. I mean, it's so cool to know, because I feel like in my mind when I think about Hot Ones, I'm like, they've done everybody under the sun, but it's cool for us to realize maybe there is some more, because I feel like you guys have done so much great stuff, but it's, like, so great. There's still so much more, too. And, too, it's like celebrity is always evolving and changing. There's always, like, a freshman class that's coming in, and I always kind of like catching people right before they take off, you know? Like, I feel like we did that with, like, Shawn Mendes or Olivia Rodrigo or, like, even Billie Eilish. Like, when we shot the Billie Eilish episode, it's always, like, kind of catching people, like, as they're about to take off, but I always think that that's, like, a really interesting part. Post Malone would be, like, another one that I feel like we caught on an upswing, so I always, I circle those, that genre of interview, like, I always love when we're able to book a guest like that. Yeah, right before they reach that point. That's pretty cool. Finish the sentence. The secret to a great interview is, which you've kind of answered this. Authenticity, I think. Yeah. Yeah. Honestly, it's a lot harder than people expect to get. Because it's, like you said, we're in a room, people are watching, everyone has naturally, even if you're not an entertainer, people naturally have, you're different when you're being observed. Yeah. Than you would be in your home with no one watching. So getting to that place is definitely a thing. Where they can kind of, like, surrender to it or whatever. I always think, like, the key is to try to get to a point where the cameras and everything is just kind of blacked out, which I always think is nice because we have that black set and people are dying on spice, where it just becomes, like, a tunnel vision where it's, like, it's just me and you in here. You know, it's just us. It's just us. It's a trauma bomb. Yeah, exactly. That's where I try to get to. Okay, so now it's time to do the fun part. All right, cool. We're going to play a game. I play a game with. It's been so fun already. Ah, yay! I was really actually, you know, it's actually really nervous, Sean, because you are really great at what you do and I wanted you to have just as much fun on my show as I do on yours. Oh, it's just fun being with you. I turn into Lucille Ball a little bit. Like, it becomes, like, I become just. I don't know why. Anyway, we're going to get into a fun game of Twister. Okay, cool. You know, I think it would be great for us to get a little physical. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And we're going to get some questions asked and we're going to get to touching the spots. Yeah, all right, let's do it. Let's do it. Okay, so, Sean, I've asked you about everything about art from living to lifestyle to the season 30 coming up of Hot Ones. 30 seasons? It's crazy. Oh, my gosh. Is that, like. Like, I mean, how are you doing that? That seems like a lifetime of work. Yeah, well, you know, just as a Pac-Man, just one pebble after another. I'm lost in the sauce. Ten years went by. It all felt like three weeks. Oh, my gosh. Congratulations on that premiering. But let's get into some Twister. Let's do it. My mom is here. Oh. Hello. Good to see you again. It's been a long time since I've seen you. Yes, yes. This is going to be a fun game of Twister. She's going to ask us questions. Okay. And we're going to figure out where our hands and our feet go. All right. Okay, Mama. So, should I get started? You should get started. Okay, who goes first? I guess I. I can go first. Okay, okay. Kiki, you go first. All right, so, question. Biggest red flag someone could have? Okay, where'd I go? It says right hand, yellow. That's it? Yeah. Okay, biggest red flag someone can have? Correct. Um, I think that it would probably be hating their mom. Oh, wow. Okay, that's great. I love that one. Okay. All right. Okay. Sean, yellow, right hand. Your question is, your date starts interviewing you the entire night. Is that attractive or annoying? You know what? I would find that annoying because I like to be the one that is keeping the ball in the air and controlling the conversation. I'm just wired that way. So, if I was getting interviewed, I would find that annoying. Okay, good. Okay, Kiki. This is fun. I hope y'all are in good shape. Yes. I see you doing yoga. Okay. We both love the gym. It says left hand, green. Okay. Left hand, green. Now, your question is, your date is funnier than you. Is that attractive or threatening? Actually, it's attractive. I think it's funny when I get a chance to just not be anything. Okay. All right, I'm spinning. And Sean, left hand, blue. Ooh. Okay. Left hand, blue. And your question is. Come on, blank. I'm going to hit a blank. Are you into splitting the bill, yes or no? No, I would pick up the bill. I would pick up the bill. I pick up lots of bills. Now, that, I heard the interview, that is Midwestern. Okay, Kiki. There you go. Left foot, green. Left foot, green? Left foot, green. Oh. All right, left foot, green. Shoot. What is your toxic dating trait? My toxic dating trait? I get scared a lot. Oh, okay. I get spooked and I just say, I got to go to work. I get nervous. I'm not that easily vulnerable. You know, I get nervous. Okay, all right. Let me spin now for Sean. Let's hope we get a foot in here. Okay. Blue, right foot. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. This is a jump. Okay. Your date keeps checking their phone. Ooh. What do you do? You know what? I deal with it in a quiet way during the actual date, but then that's probably the last date. That's kind of a red flag for me. You know, I kind of keep the phone away. You know, I understand checking it a little bit here and there, but if they're constantly on it, there's no. That's a problem. Yeah, that's crazy. There's no future there. Because you're not that engaged with me. Like, what the hell? Yeah, you're just caught in the matrix of your phone, you know? I'm not going to be able to get you out of it. All right. Kiki. I'm ready. Right foot red. How the hell are you going to do that? Okay, you're at this date, girlfriend. Okay. And you don't feel any chemistry. Oh, no. At all. What do you do? You fake it or get up and leave? I turn it to Kiki Palmer. Yeah, yeah. Entertain my way through it. Okay. All righty. Okay. This is so crazy. I feel so nostalgic. Shut up. Right foot green. Oh, my God. Right foot green. Oh, you already got a right foot? Well, do the other foot. Yeah. Do the other. Okay. Uh-oh. Okay. I'm hitting it. Okay. This is crazy good. If a date can't handle spicy food, is that a compatibility issue for you? No. You know what? That's fine by me. You know? If I'm off the clock, which I would be when I'm with her, that's okay. You know? Like, we can do salads and juices and cereal. Things that don't require Pepsi. Okay. Okay. Right foot yellow, Kiki? I don't know. Right foot yellow. Right foot yellow. Yes. Okay. Best first date activity. Something where we, that's low pressure. You know, like, maybe we are taking a stroll, you know, eating some, like, maybe we picked up something and go sit in the park, or we go to a restaurant, we sit outside, something outside, like an outside pick, you know, park, you know, rooftop, anything that is like outside. Speed up the answer. Yeah. You know, maybe we go to the park, maybe we just. That's the thing. I wasn't saying anything unique. Let me give him the blue. Get him out of this booth. Okay. Left hand blue. Left hand blue. It's already there. It's already there. Okay, let's do the foot. Okay. Right foot red. Oh, no. Is that worse? The hammy's giving. I won? I think you won. Yes, you won. Woo! Any more last questions to ask him? Yeah, let me ask John this question, because I'm interested in what he will say. Second work out of the booth. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pilates. What's something you've learned the hard way with dating? A lesson to learn the hard way? Yeah. You know what? You have to clearly identify priorities. Yes. Because if you go in there not sure how they stack up, that will create a problem along the way. Yeah. Yeah, it's true. It's true, because that's real compatibility. A lot of times we think, you know, when I think about when I was younger, I would just be thinking about chemistry, but compatibility, that's what that is. You know, what are our priorities? How do our life and our structure actually work? And a lot of times, you know. You got to learn that lesson the hard way. Last question for you, Kiki. Okay. Do you. Do you fall fast, or do you take your time? I think in real life. and I say real life because I feel like my life is now more representative than when I was younger. I was not sure what I was defining love as or connection as. Not that those connections weren't real, but I think that what I know of love now, it's much longer. It takes much longer for me because I think it's based off of realer things, not just fun vibes, not just we kicking it in this, you know, man, we got chemistry. It's like the love comes from a place of integrity. I'm not saying the other times it didn't, but it comes from how do we actually align? How does it actually have a sustainability? So that takes longer. Right. Last thing I'm going to say, Sean, you're from Crystal Lake. Yeah. And we grew up in Robins. This is such a great moment for me. I'm 58 years old. And when I was growing up, a kid from Crystal Lake wouldn't have been seen with a kid from Robins. Damn, is Crystal Lake where the rich folks live? That's where they are. Mom, that is hilarious. I got to take my ass to Crystal Lake. Sound nice over there. Anytime you want. Anytime you want. So, but this is great. This is how life should be. The guy from Crystal Lake should be sitting next to the girl from Robins. That's right. That's so sweet, Mom. I love that. Shout out to Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Oh, I thought you were talking about us. That was good! Y'all hit me damn quick! Yes! I love you two. You're the best. What I love about this conversation is that it reminds you great interviews aren't just about the questions. They're about the intention behind them. And Sean has built an entire world of being present, being prepared, and being willing to go there, even when it gets hot. From watching his dad laugh at David Letterman to now creating moments that make millions of people feel something, that's not just success. That's purpose. Sean, I'm so glad that you brought your full self into this space. I appreciate you, and I hope to see you on Hot Ones real soon. Make sure to check out season 30 of Hot Ones coming this June. And to everybody listening, keep asking better questions, keep working on your craft, and don't be afraid to turn up the heat on your dreams. Until next time, on Baby, this is Kiki Palmer. Baby, this is, this is Kiki. Baby. Baby, this is Kiki Palmer, yeah. Okay, I know y'all are wondering, what happened after that game of Twister with Sean? And I already hear y'all. What's going on between them? Are they flirting? When is that date happening? Are we getting another Hot Ones smooch? That's for us to know. And maybe you too, if you keep watching on Spotify. And if you're subscribed to Spotify Premium, you won't get any commercial breaks on my show. So, no interruptions when you see some of those questions. Questions get answered this season.