Sean Evans told PEOPLE exclusively the one celebrity who praised his Hot Ones questions mid-interview that he still thinks about to this day
The Hot Ones host said he grew up “idolizing” the celebrity so his praise was “special” to him
Evans also gave insight into the method behind his deep-dive questions that often get complimented by his guests
Sean Evans got served a compliment he won’t ever forget!
The Hot Ones host revealed to PEOPLE exclusively the one specific celebrity who praised him over his research-backed questions mid-interview that he still thinks about.
“I grew up idolizing Conan O’Brien, so for him to give a compliment or say something nice on the show, that was special,” Evans told PEOPLE exclusively when speaking on the red carpet at YouTube’s 2025 Upfront BrandCast at Lincoln Center in New York City on Monday, May 12.
Interviewer to interviewer, surely it was no surprise that positive feedback from an Emmy Award-winning talk-show host left a long-lasting impression on Evans, who invited O’Brien on the show in April last year.
Related: Sean Evans Reveals Unexpected Method to His Deep Dive Questions on Hot Ones (Exclusive)
Maya Dehlin Spach/FilmMagic; FilmMagic/FilmMagic
Sean Evans and Conan O’Brien
Evans’ closed out Hot Ones season 23 with the talk show host, asking a range of hot questions over even hotter wings. He discussed everything from his hijinks at 30 Rock to his legacy as a late-night host while courageously — and hilariously – battling Scoville-scaled spice along the way.
Three minutes into their nearly half-hour-long conversation, O’Brien praised Evans for one of his educated questions. “Thank you for doing your research,” he said before answering.
Evans had asked, “Was there anything intentional about releasing [Conan O’Brien Must Go] on your birthday or was that just a charming coincidence?”
“It was a total coincidence,” replied O’Brien. “I don’t think it was anything intentional. It just happened to be my birthday.”
Related: Hot Ones Host Sean Evans Buys His Own Show from Buzzfeed in $82.5M Deal Ahead of 10th Anniversary: ‘The Future Is Spicy’
First We Feast/Youtube
Sean Evans and Conan O’Brien on ‘Hot Ones’
Not long after, Evans asked O’Brien what late-night show hosts often ask their celebrity guests when they lean into each other and chat before a segment cuts to a commercial break. As the Emmy winner was explaining, he hit him with another compliment.
“I’ll say this. This is important for me to say. I’ve seen your show before. You are a very good interviewer. So without [the wings]… I mean this is fun, I like this and I get why you guys do it… but you are a very serious interviewer,” O’Brien told Evans.
“You take it seriously and you ask really good questions,” he continued. “So I’m very impressed with your dedication to it.”
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Sean Evans at YouTube BrandCast 2025
Also on the red carpet, Evans revealed to PEOPLE exclusively the secret behind his fame deep-dive questions that often get praised by his celebrity guests, including O’Brien.
“You know what? A lot of the time, it’s just kind of staring at a wall for 10, 15 minutes until something comes to you,” the Hot Ones host admitted.
Despite Evans’ displayed confidence when questioning the likes of Ariana Grande, Kevin Hart, Margot Robbie, Shaquille O’Neal, Sabrina Carpenter and more of the biggest names across sports and entertainment, even he still can’t quite pinpoint the recipe for his success.
“We’ve been doing it for a long time,” he says of his unconventional interview-styled show that debuted on YouTube in March 2015. “But I feel like that’s always a hard Rubik’s Cube to snap into place. So I’m still just trying my best.”
Read the original article on People
