Hot Ones isn’t for the faint of heart and, by faint of heart I mean, those who cannot handle spicy food. The First We Feast-produced show has hosted a slew of celebrities for almost a decade now. Its host, Sean Evans, and the show have been so far integrated into the culture that it has been referenced and parodied multiple times over, including in the 2024 Netflix movie and TV schedule hit A Family Affair as well as SNL. Funny enough, Maya Rudolph, has only ever “fake” been on the show, and there’s a funny story behind why that is.
This tidbit came to light while ever-rising Saturday Night Live star, Bowen Yang sat down with Sean Evans during a recent Hot Ones episode. Talk eventually turned to coveted guests, which led the pair to discuss the fictionalized Beyoncé-centric Hot Ones sketches, which see Maya Rudolph playing the singer. Evans revealed that he asked Rudolph if she’d be a guest on the actual show while appearing on the Wine Country alum’s show, Loot, to film a separate fictional episode. Evans explained how she felt about the idea:
Well, when I did Loot, I was like, ‘Hey, you know, here you are now doing fake Hot Ones for the third time. When Loot comes on, you should come on the show. That would be a nice full-circle thing.’ And then, she said to me — I’ll never forget this — she goes, ‘Sean, I’ll sit down with you and talk about whatever. There is no way in fuh-UCK I’m ever eating those wings!’ That’s what she said to me.
It’s a great retelling, and I’m glad he confirmed that we should not expect a Maya Rudolph episode in his series. Also, kudos to the chicken wing talk show host for effectively pronouncing that F-bomb as the Bridesmaids star would have. Some may be disappointed that Rudolph doesn’t want to be on the show, but I don’t blame her.
Hot Ones, while incredibly popular, puts celebrities in a very specific position, and not everyone does well. Now and again, someone like Conan O’Brien comes along and fully commits to the bit of eating a lot of hot wings and living with the consequences, and it’s a great time (for the audience). If Rudolph knows she’d look a mess, that’s totally understandable. Plus, I’m totally content with seeing her pop up on SNL and other shows. Also, I’m still wondering when we’ll see Loot Season 3.
What still impresses me is the fact that the Grown Ups alum has managed to, in some way, get in on the hot wing hype without actually feeling the burn. Plus, her portrayal of Beyoncé represents the best of both worlds. That’s because if there’s anyone less likely to go on, I’d assume it’d be Queen Bey (though that’d be incredible if it did happen). But, for those hoping that the actress changes her mind, just keep the sentiments she shared with Sean Evans in mind.
If you’d like to watch Hot Ones, head over to YouTube. You can also catch Maya Rudolph’s work on Loot using an Apple+ subscription, and grab a Peacock subscription to watch her work on Saturday Night Live.