“Hot Ones” host Sean Evans is Illini commencement speaker

CHAMPAIGN — “Hot Ones” host and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alum Sean Evans will be its 2026 commencement speaker.

Evans graduated from UIUC with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2008, according to a news release from the university.

He is the co-creator and host of the YouTube show “Hot Ones.” The YouTube program involves Evans asking celebrities rounds of questions while they eat chicken wings with increasingly spicy hot sauces. 

He earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2021 for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. In addition, he has won multiple internet entertainment awards. Evans was also named to Time Magazine’s inaugural “Time100 Creators” list last year.

Pop culture and the role of Evans

“Evans defined his own path and reimagined the role of a journalist and a talk show host in the modern media landscape,” said Charles L. Isbell, Jr., UIUC Chancellor, in a statement.

“We encourage Illinois students and alumni to be innovative, and Sean created something no one else had,” Isbell adds. “His work inspires us to continue to push boundaries, to challenge convention, and to develop new ideas instead of just adopting old ones.”

Isbell was featured in a special episode of “Hot Ones,” where he served as host and interviewed Evans.

“As somebody who loves this school, went to this school, and now has this crazy pop culture platform, it’s fun to bring that energy back to Illinois,” Evans said.

Evans has made several trips back to UIUC to attend sporting events and speak to students. He would also host a special edition of the show with men’s head basketball coach Brad Underwood. That video is available below. 

Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 16, at 9:30 a.m. in Gies Memorial Stadium.

Illinois Public Media

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