Kamala Harris is just getting started on the presidential campaign trail, but she’s already flipped one crucial state: the internet.
Following Joe Biden’s historic decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election and endorse his vice president to take his place at the top of the Democratic ticket, there’s been a drastic vibe shift. Enthusiasm has noticeably spiked among young voters in particular; instead of doomscrolling and feeling “meh” about voting, Gen-Z is suddenly sharing coconut tree memes, trolling Donald Trump and J.D. Vance by calling them “weird” (something Seth Meyers has been doing for years, by the way), and trying to explain what “Kamala is brat” means to their confused parents.
Although the energy is electric right now (and the polls are starting to edge in Harris’ favor), there are still concerns about whether Democrats can sustain this momentum through November, and make sure that young voters actually register and show up to the polls.
One way Harris could help keep the enthusiasm going? Go on Hot Ones. No, seriously.
Created by Chris Schonberger for First We Feast in 2015, the popular YouTube series sees host Sean Evans interview celebrities—ranging from Gordon Ramsay to Viola Davis to Jennifer Lawrence to late-night stars like Conan O’Brien—as they’re tasked with eating increasingly spicy chicken wings. It’s essentially, as Vanity Fair aptly put it, “the closest thing the internet has to a late-night talk show.” (Which helps explain why it competed against all the actual late-night talk shows for Emmy consideration this year.)
Ever since Harris announced her intention to run for president, the internet has exploded with calls for her to appear on Hot Ones. “Kamala Harris on Hot Ones has the potential to be on the level of Bill Clinton playing saxophone on Arsenio,” one Twitter/X user declared, garnering 61k likes. One Reddit user also pointed out that Harris used to host a cooking show, Cooking With Kamala, “so you know she’s a foodie.”
At first glance, the whole “Harris on Hot Ones” campaign might seem like nothing more than silly internet fun. But the idea really isn’t that unprecedented. For one thing, political candidates already have a long history of appearing on late-night shows. Bill Clinton famously played “Heartbreak Hotel” on his aforementioned saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1992, John Kerry went on Late Show With David Letterman in 2004, and even Donald Trump memorably got his hair mussed up by Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in 2016.
Harris has made more than 20 late-night appearances in the past five years. Most recently, she stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! in June for the third time. She’s also been on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show. Her late-night appearances have been a mix of lighthearted fun and more serious conversations; she’s notably used the shows as a platform to discuss topics like abortion access, marijuana legislation, and immigration reform.
While Hot Ones isn’t exactly known for dissecting hot-button issues like reproductive healthcare, Evans has a knack for getting his high-profile guests to do something remarkable: come across as actual human beings. The questions are high caliber, and the show’s unorthodox format leads celebrities to be more open and relaxed than a traditional talk show might.
As host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour Glen Weldon explained, “[The guests] are disarmed, one, by the intensity of the spice, but, two, by the specificity of Sean Evans’ questions, which are incredibly well-researched.”
A Hot Ones appearance could not only help Harris reach a large number of potential voters—the show currently boasts 13.5 million subscribers on YouTube—but also demonstrate that she knows how to connect with people outside of carefully crafted speeches and more formal media interviews.
“Which candidate would you rather have a beer with?” is a question that has long been used to try to gauge a politician’s likability. Sitting down to answer thoughtful questions over a platter of spicy chicken wings could be a new, innovative way to test that principle (not to mention, it’s pretty darn hard to imagine her opponent would be willing to do the same).
One of the campaign’s key strengths so far has been being in tune with youth culture. Harris has already guested on RuPaul’s Drag Race, used Beyoncé’s “Freedom” in her campaign ad, joined TikTok, racked up Gen-Z celeb endorsements from the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, and even had Megan Thee Stallion perform at her Atlanta rally. So, why not add a Hot Ones stint to the list? Especially considering it’s quite possible she’ll make more traditional late-night appearances soon. “I would not be surprised if she did the late-night tour,” an unnamed showrunner recently told Deadline.
All that being said, there’s still the question of whether Hot Ones would even be open to having Harris—or any politician, for that matter—on the show.
“If you just touch politics from even a distance, people just get so worked up,” Evans said in 2020. “If you had Donald Trump on the show, it would just be apocalyptic in the way that it’s received. The same with Hillary Clinton.”
LateNighter reached out to Hot Ones about a possible Harris appearance; a representative declined to comment.
It remains to be seen whether Harris will actually consider stopping by Hot Ones on the campaign trail. But if she does go for it, she should definitely make sure to bring a tall glass of coconut milk with her.
