Sean Evans, the host of Hot Ones, has broken up with his girlfriend, adult entertainer Melissa Stratton. According to Stratton, Evans was uncomfortable with the amount of media attention their relationship had suddenly received after TMZ published news about the couple on Valentine's Day. Stratton theorized that while Evans was fine with her employment, there were others in his camp who pressured him to end the relationship now that it was public.
Evans and Stratton attended the Super Bowl together last weekend, with the photos from that event becoming the basis of TMZ's report. Perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back was No Jumper host Adam22 congratulating Evans with a message about how he had previously had sex with Stratton. It's unlikely that things will change. However, perhaps this is a pertinent moment for media outlets to be introspective about the very real impact they have on the lives of others.
Who Is Sean Evans?
Sean Evans got his start in journalism as a copywriter in Chicago. While working for the city's tourism board, he was also freelancing for Complex. After some of his interviews went viral, Evans was offered a full-time position with the culture outlet. Under the Complex-owned brand of First We Feast, Evans created Hot Ones. As mentioned, the show combines the in-depth interview style of Nardwuar with the sight of celebrities struggling to eat progressively spicier hot wings.
However, Evans has made it clear that he doesn't intend to do Hot Ones forever. "I do feel in some ways closer to the end of it than the beginning. We have been doing it for a long time. I'm not sure there's anything that I'm leaving on the table. Hot Ones has already done 10 laps around any expectation that I ever had for it. So it's in a spot where I'm just doing something that I really enjoy doing. So I'm committed to Hot Ones for as long as the fans will allow it," he told Esquire in 2021.
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