Sean Evans
Born 1986 · Age 39
American YouTuber and producer best known for co-creating and hosting Hot Ones, a celebrity interview series where guests eat progressively spicier wings.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Evanston, Illinois
Sean Evans born to Michael Evans and Donna Arthofer in the Chicago suburb of Evanston.
Mother (Donna Arthofer) obituary
Reference to Donna Arthofer's obituary (Chicago Tribune) dated March 1, 2003; cited in his biography.
Graduated Crystal Lake Central High School
Graduated from Crystal Lake Central High School; played football and baseball in high school.
High school athletics (football & baseball)
Played football and baseball at Crystal Lake Central High School.
Early career: copywriter for Chicago tourism board
Worked as a copywriter for the Chicago tourism board before moving into on-camera interviews and media.
Graduated University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (BA)
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism; professor suggested becoming a weatherman.
Joined Complex full-time and moved to New York
After Complex liked his freelance interviews, they offered him a full-time job; he quit his copywriting job and moved to New York about a month later.
Listed as 'years active' beginning (media/YouTube career)
Public profiles list his professional years active beginning in 2014.
Freelance on-screen interview for Complex (2 Chainz video)
Freelanced for Complex Magazine; did on-screen interviews such as a 2 Chainz interview in New Orleans (video dated Feb 19, 2014).
Co-created Hot Ones with First We Feast (Chris Schonberger)
Co-created and began hosting Hot Ones (produced by First We Feast / Complex Media) with Chris Schonberger. Show pairs celebrity interviews with progressively spicier wings.
Hot Ones episode format established (10-wing format)
Show format: 10 wings (or vegan substitutes) with increasingly hot sauces; the 8th ('Da Bomb') and 10th ('The Last Dab') sauces became recurring staples.
Won internet entertainment awards (Shorty, Lovie, Webby)
Evans and Hot Ones have won internet entertainment awards including the Shorty, the Lovie, and the Webby (years not specified in the provided text).
Ate Guinness-record Carolina Reaper (with Chili Klaus)
Participated in First We Feast videos teaming up with Chili Klaus to eat the Carolina Reaper pepper (recorded as 1,569,300 Scovilles by Guinness). Also repeated the stunt on a horse carriage in Central Park.
Early mainstream TV appearances
Appeared on network TV programs including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Good Morning America and The View (dates span multiple years; cited generally).
Reddit AMA: 'Hi! I'm Sean Evans' participation
Hosted an 'Ask Me Anything' on Reddit to engage fans and discuss Hot Ones and his career (Reddit AMA dated March 3, 2017).
Paul Rudd episode spawns viral meme
2019 Hot Ones episode with Paul Rudd produced the meme 'Look at us. Who would have thought? Not me.'
Featured in major press profiles and long-form coverage
Profiles and features in outlets such as The Verge, Vanity Fair, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and others chronicled the show's growth and Evans' interviewing style.
Interviewed major celebrities (examples cited)
Over time has interviewed hundreds of celebrities including Shaquille O'Neal, Conan O'Brien, Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake, Billie Eilish, Kristen Stewart, Gordon Ramsay, Post Malone, Dua Lipa, Neil deGrasse Tyson and others (ongoing series milestone).
Threw first pitch at Cubs game at Wrigley Field
Threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Cubs-Pirates game at Wrigley Field (July 19, 2019).
Launched 'Hot Ones: The Game Show' on TruTV
Hosted Hot Ones: The Game Show, a trivia game show based on Hot Ones that aired on TruTV.
Saturday Night Live spoof featured his persona
Mikey Day impersonated Sean Evans in an SNL sketch spoofing Hot Ones where Maya Rudolph played Beyoncé (2021).
Nominated for Daytime Emmy Award (Outstanding Talk Show Host)
Nominated on May 25, 2021 for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host at the 48th Daytime Emmy Awards for his Hot Ones work.
Emmy nomination noted by speaker agency and press
Harry Walker Agency and other press frequently cite his 2021 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host as an industry credential.
Profiled in Vanity Fair about Hot Ones' origins
Vanity Fair published a profile (2022) detailing how Hot Ones was conceived and how hot sauce breaks down guests' inhibitions.
Cameo appearance as himself on Apple TV+ show Loot
Appeared as himself in an episode of Loot (June 2022) in which the main character does a Hot Ones interview.
Social metrics snapshot (Favikon profile published Nov 8, 2024)
Favikon profile (Nov 8, 2024) lists Instagram ~639.9K followers, X ~439.1K followers and an estimated sponsored-post cost of $2.3K.
Hot Ones audience milestone cited (8M+ YouTube fans; ~60M views)
Harry Walker Agency profile cites Hot Ones as having spawned an 8M+ YouTube fanbase and nearly 60M views (figures cited on HWA profile; likely rounded marketing figures).
Listed speaker & moderator via Harry Walker Agency profile (profile content current)
Harry Walker Agency profiles him as an Emmy-nominated host & co-creator of Hot Ones; cites audience and viewership milestones (HWA page content current as of 2025 but reflective of representation).
First We Feast purchased for $82.5M; Evans part of buyer group
BuzzFeed sold First We Feast to an investment group (including Sean Evans, Chris Schonberger, Mythical Entertainment, Crooked Media, Soros Fund Management) for USD 82,500,000 on Dec 12, 2024.
Named to TIME's inaugural 'TIME100 Creators' list
In July 2025, Time included Sean Evans in its inaugural 'TIME100 Creators' list of the 100 most influential digital voices.
Key Achievement Ages
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