On a scale of mild to One Chip Challenge levels of heat, Sean Evans' net worth in 2024 can buy a lot of ghost peppers.
Evans, host of Hot Ones , has made a career out of bonding with celebrities while testing the limits of their tastebuds with increasingly spicier hot sauces.
The YouTube series debuted in 2015 and is on its 20th season as of the second half of 2024. The format of the show is always the same, but with guests ranging from Paul Rudd (who helped Evans make a sweet, memorable meme) to Heidi Klum ( who stripped down during the show ) you never really know what to expect from Hot Ones .
“We’re not complacent with the success that we have,” Evans told The Wrap in August 2024. “We’re just trying to week-in and week-out deliver the best possible episode for the fans who have supported us now for almost 10 years.”
And that effort has been paying off in spades—and in dollars. Find out Sean Evans' net worth and how he made it.
Related: 20 Hottest Hot Sauces in the World for the Spiciest of Tastebuds
How Did Sean Evans Become Famous?
Born April 26, 1986, in Evanston, Illinois, Evans got his bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. While his studies were focused on news, he preferred the interview styles of comedians like Jimmy Kimmel , David Letterman and Howard Stern , he later told Esquire .
After college, Evans got a copywriting job with the Chicago Tourism Board and worked as a freelance journalist, notably for Complex , where he interviewed hip-hop stars like 2 Chainz and NBA star Steph Curry . Impressed by his journalism skills, he got a full-time job offer from Complex and moved to the Big Apple.
Evans developed the idea for Hot Ones with First We Feast founder Christopher Schonberger in 2015.
“People were looking for something to puncture the veneer of celebrity—how interviews were becoming more experiential and gamified,” Schonberger told The New York Times . “ Hot Ones was just the dumbest idea of all time. How is it, philosophically, that the dumbest idea is the best?”
He added, “It’s like, well, we can’t just have people get drunk or high. but I think we can get people to eat spicy food, which might just be hilarious.”
For his part, Evans explained of the idea to The Wall Street Journal , “The hot sauce is the disruptive element. It’s designed to knock our celebrity guests off their PR-driven flight pattern. I’m going up the mountain with you, so it’s a bonding experience. By Wing 6, we’re best friends.”
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What is Sean Evans' Net Worth in 2024?
Sean Evans' net worth in 2024 is about $8 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth .
According to The Wall Street Journal , the Hot Ones budget is actually pretty low, and the show has multiple revenue streams, including a number of sponsorships in addition to ads. Its marketing spending is close to zero thanks to the power of social media, so a lot of the money that the show makes—aside from the portions that go to overhead, plus YouTube and parent company First We Feast—is able to stay in house.
Related: 20 Easy Hot Honey Recipes and Ideas
How Much Does Sean Evans Make Per Episode?
Evans' pay per episode isn't publicly known, but what we do know is that he puts a lot of work into his research before every interview. He told The Wrap that his interviews typically take about 10 days to prep from research to filming and editing before they're ready to post.
“I mean, there’s a lot of Googling late at night at home,” Evans said. “But also too, it’s the same core team that’s been doing it since the beginning. So it’s my little brother Gavin and Chris Schonberger who I do the show with, and the three of us just dive into the material, expose ourselves to as much of the guests as we possibly can, and then just try to execute against that.”
Related: Al Roker's Spicy Chicken Wings Recipe
Who is Sean Evans' favorite guest?
In a Reddit AMA , Evans revealed that his favorite guests have included Gordon Ramsay (who he described as a "teddy bear"), Scarlett Johansson , Eric Andre , Charlize Theron and Trick Daddy.
Related: Gordon Ramsay's Net Worth Is Truly Next Level
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