Sean Evans, the Hot Ones host, is at the center of fresh dating rumors after he and Good Fortune actress Keke Palmer were photographed together at Lucali, a Brooklyn Italian spot, on June 12. As per photos obtained by DeuxMoi and TMZ, the pair were spotted at the upscale restaurant together.
An eyewitness told the outlet the two were there for well over an hour. Palmer, who is thirty-two years old, and Evans, forty, were “locked in” on each other the whole time, per the source. No PDA was reported at the dinner, though the eyewitness said Evans came across as “smitten” by the One of Them Days actress.
Hot Ones, for anyone unfamiliar, is a YouTube interview series. Evans sits down with celebrities and the two work their way through wings that climb in heat with every round. Plenty of those interviews have gone viral, mostly because the heat has a funny way of getting guests to say things they probably wouldn’t otherwise.
Evans has had his share of tabloid moments before this. As per TMZ, he and adult film star Melissa Stratton ended their relationship in 2024. The split reportedly came on Valentine’s Day, with Evans informing her that he wanted out because of the media attention they were getting.
How Sean Evans and Keke Palmer had fans talking before their Lucali outing:
The chemistry between Sean Evans and Keke Palmer didn’t appear out of nowhere. The two had already set tongues wagging back in May, when Evans appeared on Palmer’s podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer. Palmer wasted no time setting the tone for the episode, introducing Sean Evans to her listeners as her “potential future suitor” right from the jump.
Things got playful during the interview when Evans revealed his celebrity crush growing up was TLC rapper Left Eye. Palmer, who played Chili in the CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story movie, fired back with
“I played Chili in the [‘CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story’] movie. Close enough.”
Evans wasn’t about to argue.
“Absolutely close enough,” he replied.
As per a report shared by Page Six, toward the end of the episode, Palmer’s mom Sharon stepped in and made things even more interesting. Sharon told Sean Evans that watching him sit next to her daughter was a “great moment” for her personally, and explained why.
“This is great. This is how life should be. The guy from Crystal Lake should be sitting next to the girl from Robbins [Illinois],” Sharon said.
Keke responded warmly.
“That’s so sweet, Mom. I love that. Shoutout to Mr. and Mrs. Evans… your parents,” she said.
Sean Evans, apparently sensing an opening, quipped back,
“Oh, I thought you were talking about us.”
The episode wrapped with the duo exchanging “I love yous” before pulling each other in for a hug.
How Sean Evans and Keke Palmer went from a secret crush to a viral kiss:
The spark between Sean Evans and Keke Palmer didn’t just happen overnight. As per a report shared by Page Six, Evans had already let it slip back in November 2023 that he had a thing for Palmer. He was chatting with Amelia Dimoldenberg, the creator and host of the web series Chicken Shop Date, when he gushed,
“Very charming woman.”
That was 2023. Two years passed. Then Palmer showed up on Hot Ones, and things got interesting fast. She brought up an interview where Evans had called her his favorite guest and said some sweet things about her publicly. Then she took things a step further.
“I know we’ve just had some wings, but I thought that maybe we could just have a quick smooch to see if there’s a spark,” Palmer told him.
The two kissed on camera, right there on the show. Palmer didn’t hold back her reaction.
“The sparks are sparking!” she said.
Evans, for his part, wasn’t exactly playing it cool either.
“When I’m dying, and my life flashes before my eyes, I’ll have that snapshot,” he added.
The clip spread quickly. So by the time photos of the pair surfaced from their Lucali dinner on June 12, most people had already connected the dots.
Edited by Ryan D’souza