“Spicy Interviews and Morning Mythical FYC Virtual Chat”
In Sean Evans’ opinion, if Hot Ones was solely focused on creating viral clips of celebrities eating extremely spicy wings, the show would have lost its appeal long ago. He believes that the key to its longevity, spanning 24 seasons, is the meaningful conversations that accompany the eating segments, a format inspired by iconic shows like Late Night With David Letterman and The Conan O’Brien Show.
Those shows were also Primetime Emmy winners, a feat that is now within reach for Evans as well. His YouTube show is now eligible for a prestigious award, specifically for outstanding talk show. Rhett and Link’s Good Mythical Morning is also in the running for outstanding shortform comedy, drama, or variety series. Both shows were allowed to compete after YouTube CEO Neal Mohan penned a compelling op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter advocating for their inclusion.
“I’m a traditionalist. I grew up watching Letterman, Conan, Jimmy, and shows of that nature. To be able to compete against those iconic institutions would be a significant milestone for us,” Evans expressed in a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter co-editor-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody.
Rhett and Link, who participated in the conversation with Evans and Moody, echoed his sentiments.
“It’s a privilege to be mentioned in the same breath as the names that we admire and aspire to be like, as Sean mentioned. We aim to reach the same level and provide a similar experience for our audience,” Link added.
Watch the full conversation below.